


everything will turn out just fine

by homunerd



Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Human AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-17
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:47:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25324126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homunerd/pseuds/homunerd
Summary: Marina goes out for once in her life.Human au where Marina's grad student and Pearl's just trying her best.
Relationships: Agent 3/Agent 8 (Splatoon), Agent 4/Marie (Splatoon), Marina/Pearl (Splatoon)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 57





	1. Chapter 1

It would be fun, Eight had said, it would be a change of pace.

Outside the club, Marina shifts from foot to foot, wondering if she should really go in or if it would be safer to just go back home. 

Home has her comfy blankets, warm tea, and her computer. Inside there was… probably drinking? Loud screams? 

Oh, and her friend. Her friend is waiting for her. Her friend who is just too curious about Marina’s life and too much of an extrovert to let her continue huddled inside like the introvert she was. 

Inside has the unknown. Okay, maybe not the unknown, because there were people. There were a lot of people inside. Just the thought of it makes her body tingle with anxiety. 

Eight had said there was good music though, and Marina hasn’t had the time to enjoy good music in ages. Not after getting that research grant. To be completely honest, college was becoming less of a place of creating and more of a place where her passions began to fray around the edges.

She misses working with her hands to build and create. She misses just being alone with her thoughts and a problem that could be fixed with a twist of a wrench or change of code. Now it’s all theories, numbers, and the endless planning that never seemed to finish. 

Even if loud, heavy metal music isn’t entirely her genre of choice, maybe it could let out her stress. 

Forget it, even, if for a moment. 

Marina breathes in. She’s trying to not succumb to the urge to chicken out, but it’s hard. This was the first weekend she’s had off in weeks and her bed is calling her. She had gotten off from the design committee an hour ago where she went home to change into more 'appropriate clothing’. 

Earlier that day Eight had given her one look with what she was wearing, her favorite turtleneck and jeans, and said something along the lines of ‘No, That’s not acceptable’ and proceeded to talk Marina’s ear off the next half hour. She specified there was a dress code required to even set foot in the club, even if the criteria were outrageous.

Marina had a moment, when she got back to her small apartment, in which she just stared at her bed with deep and utter longing. But she gave in, and left without laying down.

And now she is standing in front of the club. Awkwardly fighting a war within herself.

Is it worth going in? She could walk away right now.

But, once again, Eight is still waiting for her, whether she likes it or not. She looked so excited when Marina begrudgingly said yes. 

Marina breathes out. No. She should stop being like this. Just this once. If it goes terrible then she’d have a reason to get out of other outings. 

There’s a short line outside the entrance with a bouncer just outside the door. A variety of people chat loudly over the music, many of them dressed in spikes and leather. 

She gets in line. The time on her phone says it’s nearing ten. There’s also a message from Eight who asks if she’s there yet. The typos in the sentence make Marina wonder if she’s tipsy or just excited.

Marina replies that she’s waiting in line. Eight sends her a smiley face and a few exclamation points. 

It only takes her minutes for her to be at the front of the line and Marina’s once again having second thoughts. The pleather top and skirt felt too tight and hot against her skin, almost suffocating, even though she’s worn it multiple times through multiple occasions. Though Eight would dub it as her ‘sexy outfit’ with her midriff showing and her legs bare, this was the only ‘black’ and ‘tight’ thing she owned. 

Every time the door opens, She can feel the heat from here. The air around the place was thick with smell of booze and sweat. She’s glad she brought her headphones and they hang around her neck just in case the music becomes too loud or the people become too overbearing. Thirty dollars off of ebay and a little bit of elbow grease made them good as new.They’ve seen better days, but they can block out the noise enough to make things less overstimulating. 

The last thing she needs is to panic in front of everyone. 

The bouncer looks at her, scanning her up and down. She just turned twenty one, but she still looks nineteen, so it’s no surprise when he asks for identification. She fishes her license from the small purse she brought and hands it to him.

He checks it, nods and waves her in. The doors open and the music envelops her.

Inside the lights pulse in time with the music. People crowd together in the center on the dance floor that looks to have been turned into a mosh pit. They spill towards the stage, stationed next to the door. Everyone’s moving to the pounding beat. A band was already onstage, screaming their lungs out in such a way that the words blurred together just enough to get lost in it. The drummer begins to do a drum solo and people whoop with excitement. 

As she’s slowly shoved forwards into the crowd, Marina tries to scan the room, which admittedly shouldn’t be hard with her heels and her height, however, the room is packed to the brim. 

There’s a tap on her shoulder and she jumps. Whipping around she sees a familiar face and a large smile. 

“You made it!” Eight shouts out just barely over the music. She’s sporting a black leather top as well with a zipper down the center. One arm is cut off so it looks asymmetrical. “Isn’t this cool?” 

Marina nods and before she can answer Eight grabs her by the arm, pulling her over towards the edge of the large room. Her grip is tight, and it centers Marina enough to realize there are chairs and booths that are overrun with both belongings and people. 

She’s led to the farthest corner opposite the entrance, right next to the bar. On the way there she almost loses Eight, but the other woman has a grip of steel and it comes in handy when people try to push her around. 

They finally end up in front of a small booth. Another woman is already sitting on top of the table holding a beer. Her hair is dyed a bright green and long. She’s wearing a black tee shirt but the neck and sleeves look to be cut by scissors work. There are black gauges in her ears, but besides that no other piercings.

She looks up, and her green eyes are striking. “This your friend?” The woman calls out to Eight who bounds over cheerfully. The music feels louder over here, probably because of the walls, so Marina can barely process what she’s saying without looking at her face.

Eight nods and grins, “Marina meet Three! Three, Marina.” 

Three extends a hand and Marina shakes it.

“Nice to meet you.” Three says. “Eight’s talked a lot about you.” 

“Good things I hope.” Marina glances at Eight. 

Three just gives a half smile. “You can say that.” 

Eight rolls her eyes. “All good things! And, uh, maybe some embarrassing things!” 

Marina groans. “Eight!” 

“Do you want a drink? I’ll go get you one!” Eight asks and before Marina can answer she’s off to the bar.

Marina watches her go before turning back to see Three laugh around her beer as she takes a sip. 

“Never gets old.” Three says. 

“Never.” Marina agrees. “So where did you meet her?” 

“At a coffee shop.” Three answers and she looks a little bashful. “She spilled coffee on me then refused to let me leave her sight until she washed my shirt. She’s very persistent when she wants to be.” 

Marina could see that scenario clear in her head. She laughs at it. “Yes, she can be.” 

Three skooches to the side and pats the table, offering a seat, and Marina thanks her before she sits next to her. Scanning the crowd and the faces, there had to be at least a hundred people here. The crowd bobs with energy. There’s a nudge at her side and Marina sees more than hears Three shout, “So what brings you here? Eight told me she was surprised when you said you'd come. Said you didn't seem the metal head type.”

“I’m not,” She replies, truthfully, “But I needed to get out. It was becoming a bit too cramped in my room.” 

Three sips her beer again. She looks like she understands. “Don’t we all. We’re social creatures whether we wanna be or not.” 

Marina hums in agreement, though it’s probably lost in the crowd’s yelling. “Is your name really Three?”

“What do you think?” Three asks and Marina really doesn’t have an answer. 

“Could be, your friends with Eight.” Not that Eight was, well, her real name, but it was close enough.

“... Touche.” Three tilts her head. “Naw, it’s my web persona, but I feel better using it than my actual one. Keeps anonymity.”

“Huh, that’s pretty smart.”

“I know, right?” Three laughs and shakes her head. “It was just when I was young and dumb, but now Three’s stuck. Everyone calls me that now. Honestly wouldn't have it any other way.”

Eight comes back a moment later. Her face flushed red like her red hair looks frizzier than before, but she’s beaming. “Here!” She shoves a cold something into her hands. Marina looks at it. A hard cider. Eight is holding a hard lemonade in her other hand. “Are you both getting along?” 

“Yes ma’am.” Three says and salutes. Eight shoves her, earning a smile from the green haired woman. 

Marina takes a sip of the cider. Not bad. She silently thanks Eight for knowing her tastes.

An announcer comes onto the stage. “ _Are you ready for Inkopolis' fan favorite?_ ” 

The crowd roars, including Eight. “Yes!!!!” She screams pumping her fits. “Oh man, Marina, you made it just in time!” 

“ _I can’t hear you!_ ” The announcer taunts. As a response, the crowd does an even larger wave of sound. A few people holla swears.

“ _Give it up for Steelhead Mania!_ ” 

The amount of energy in the room gives Marina energy of her own until the lights all go out. She suddenly feels claustrophobic. She can hear everyone heavy breathing and the tension is so thick it’s almost suffocating her.

A single light goes on and a girl grins on stage. Her hair is cut in a short bob, dyed entirely pink. A crown sits on her head on an angle, it‘s gold and it’s the only thing she’s wearing that isn’t black. 

She’s short, but her confident personality immediately seeps into the crowd as they begin to whoop. 

She grabs the mic with such force Marina worries it’s going to break.

“Who’s ready to _rock?_ ” She says and her voice booms through the room. There's something more powerful behind her voice that the speakers are just barely holding back. 

People boo, but it only makes her grin louder. “My bad! Who’s ready to _scream?”_

The last word is so powerful that the table Marina's sitting on shakes. The lights suddenly turn on, half blinding as the drummer starts to play. A bright red washes over everyone. 

Eight’s practically half in the mosh pit, screaming her head off as the show starts. She pauses, almost like she remembers she has friends, and she looks back at them, then points into the crowd as if asking for permission. They both nod and she quickly hands Three her drink before diving in. 

Marina turns her attention to the crowd. She notes everyone here seems to know them already, many singing along with the lyrics. Not surprising, they’re good. The lead singer especially. Her voice isn’t as rough as the previous band’s, and sometimes during the bridge of the song she actually sings. Marina closes her eyes. Honestly, it’s beautiful in those moments. Something about the edge of her voice floats over everyone.

It takes a moment of truly focusing, but after the first minute of the song there's something not entirely right about the band. They don't communicate. Marina can tell, though, the band doesn’t seem to follow her as much as Pearl wants. Sometimes they are early or too late by a few seconds, it’s even more evident when she glances back at them. The words and chords are written in such a way that it's just all noise all the time which covers up any noticeable gaps.

With a nudge she gestures Three to come closer so she could ask in her ear. “Who is she?” 

“That’s Pearl.” Three answers. “Lead singer and overall mystery. She just appeared with her band one day and shook the room like nobody’s business. No one knows where she came from or who she really is but everyone agrees she has some godlike vocals.”

“Yeah, I can tell. The crowd loves her.” Marina hums and continues to watch as Pearl begins to jump around on stage. She’s wearing thick jewelry that glitters whenever she turns. 

“The band got famous overnight. Mostly within the community, but it’s the fastest I’ve ever seen a band do that.” 

“Wow.”

Pearl screams and the room feels like it’s shaking again. There are more people trickling from the edges into the mosh pit and the crowd grows slowly.

As soon as that song wraps up immediately the band begins a new song and people cheer. The beats are intense and sometimes when the meter is blurred Marina feels out of her body a little. She debates slipping on her headphones but decides she’s okay enough for now.

Eight comes back at some point between the third and fourth song and she’s sweating as she wipes her forehead. “Do you have my drink?”

Three hands it to her and she takes a swing before her nose crunches up. “Warm.” 

“Sorry.” Three says, taking the bottle back from her. “I can go get you some water.” 

“I’m good.” Eight waves her off. She’s still breathing heavily as she leans in. “I wish they’d put out an album, their music is great.”

“They don’t have an album?” Marina asks and Eight shakes her head. “Nothing on the web or in stores yet. It’s a bit annoying. I just want to hear their music while I work. Guess crappy recordings will have to do.”

Marina blinks as Eight straightens. “Okay, going back in. Marina, Three wanna join me?” 

Three places her empty beer on the table, “Hell yeah.” 

“I’m good.” Marina says. The crowd looks a little daunting. 

Eight nods. “If you need anything we’ll be in there probably towards the front.” Eight gestures to the huge crowd that's now double since she’s got there. All for this one band?

Marina nods and the two wave at her before disappearing. She goes to sip her cider before realizing it’s all gone and places it next to Three’s empty one. Closing her eyes she feels the beat through the next few song selections. It’s nice to just sit with the music pulsing through your soul.

They continue, song after song, and Marina thinks it's hard to believe they don't have an album. Soon, the band relaxes and the stage lights turn on. The announcer comes out and announces a ten minute Intermission. Three and Eight come back, both flushed and grinning.

“So fuckin’ good.” Three says. “Did you see those guitar riffs? Like, what the fuck.” 

“Three, language.” Eight nudges her and Three just pushes her back.

“I’m an adult and I can say what I want.” 

“No you can’t! Be civil.” Eight scolds. She turns to Marina. “How are you liking it?”

“It’s incredible.” Marina says. “Her voice is so powerful.”

“Did you know she writes everything too?” Eight asks eagerly. 

“Really?” There was... meaning to metal music? 

“Yes! And they’re so poetic, I was able to get a phone recording a few weeks ago and transcribed it. She’s a romantic at heart! Usually it’s all angsty and death but her stuff is just…” Eight kisses her fingers. 

“How do you know she writes everything?” Three asks. 

Eight winks, “I have my sources.” 

“You and your secrets.” Three mutters. “Anyways you guys want water? I’m thirsty.” Eight immediately says yes. Marina politely declines. 

“Suit yourself.” Three says to her before heading to the bar.

Marina turns towards Eight who’s watching her go. “Three?”

“Shut up, okay!” Eight’s pouting and it makes Marina smirk. “She’s just… really cool.” 

“She seems to know a lot about this scene.” Marina looks up at the stage. “Did you start coming here for her?”

“N-No.” But when Marina gives her a look she hesitates. “Maybe, but I actually like the music too, alright? Stop teasing me about… you know.”

The other woman tilted her head. “About what?” 

Eight begins gesturing wildly, “You know!” And when Marina just started at her she deflates in defeat, “Romance and stuff.” 

Marina smiles, about to poke more into it when Three appears with bottled water. In fact, she has three waters. One she hands to Eight while she just tosses the other one to Marina. 

“Um…” Marina looks at the water. 

“You’re gonna get dehydrated and then Eight’s going to complain to me for the rest of the night so I’m cutting my losses.” Three answers and Eight practically beams at her. 

Marina opens the cap with a crack, “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” 

There is a tap on the microphone and everyone turns their head towards the stage. It's one of the band members with dark spiky hair. “We’ll be starting back up in a moment! Stay fresh!” 

There's an echo of “Stay fresh!” through the room.

“Marina, come to the mosh pit with us!” Eight grabs her hand. “Please! It’s super fun! Just one song? There’s less people right after the break.”

Marina chews the inside of her cheek before nodding. The red head is on the verge of puppy eyes. She gives in. “Alright, just one song.”

The guitarist begins warming up and so does the drummer. Soon everyone’s on stage besides Pearl, who's nowhere to be found. 

Marina is squished between Eight and Three as they crowd towards the back of the pit. 

Soon, the band begins and the music starts up again. More people begin pushing to get closer and closer. Pearl appears, looking slightly disheveled in her all black and starts shouting once more. 

Eight’s right, it is fun, and just for a moment Marina lets go of her to do list that's always lingering in the back of her mind. She shakes her head like the others do, her hair whipping back and forth. A few people shout and she looks up to realize some are cheering her on. It makes her feel a little self conscious, but decides to play into it and gets a few more whoops.

After the song ends she touches Eight’s arm and gestures she’s going back. Eight gives a thumbs up. 

Song after song Steelhead Mania continues to draw the crowd in. More and more people gather at the edges, making the mosh pit spill over the dance floor lines and there's now a sea of people almost wall to wall. 

The band seems to be getting ready to end as their music becomes increasingly louder and, somehow, more intense. She can tell by Pearl’s movements she’s getting tired, but never stops moving across the whole stage pointing at the audience. Everyone she gazes upon seems to swoon. She winks at them, waving as phones flash with a picture before moving to the other side. 

Marina continues watching and suddenly she realizes that Pearl is looking towards the back. They meet eyes and the world seems to slow.

There's no way the singer actually sees her, especially since she's so far away. The lighting is too sporadic and there's too much color to show her face properly. Marina knows this, but Pearl’s half smile indicates otherwise as she winks before turning away.

Marina releases a breath and looks away from the stage. Her heart thuds in her chest uncomfortably against the pulse of the song. Seconds later the piece ends with a bang. People are all over each other as the cadence rings out. The strobe lights turn off just as the stage lights are turned on. 

Three and Eight have found their way back and Marina smiles at them. 

“That was fresh.” Three says as Eight takes a spot next to Marina. 

“This is the last song of the night!” Pearl says and people boo again. “Sorry I can’t entertain you guys all day ‘cause I love singing for you guys, but things gotta end sometime. As a special treat I made a new song just for all of you, hope you guys like it. It’s called Fuckin' Dude be Fuckin' Sleepin!”

People around them _roar._

“Oh shit, a new song?” Three’s eyes widen. 

Eight just screams with the crowd. 

“Yeeahhhh!!!” Pearl screams as the strobe lights begin shooting out over the crowd. The drummer begins to pound away as the guitar begins its rifts. 

Marina watches as people climb on top of each other to get a better view of the stage. Soon her vision is almost entirely blocked and she has to peak through the bodies to even see anything. 

She can’t tell what the lyrics are but the catchphrase of the night seems to sum it up. It’s fresh. 

As the song begins to climax, Pearl’s voice begins to increase in volume. The adrenaline pumps through the air and everyone is caught in the whirlwind.

Pearl jumps, ending the climax with a loud scream that ripples the air. 

Suddenly there’s a loud screech, pop, and sparks fly out of the speakers.

The crowd’s winces as the feedback pierces through the room. Marina covers her ears but it feels like needles are attacking her skull for a second. 

The band stops with a clatter, shocked, but Pearl continues singing until her guitarist nudges her. She blinks, owlishly, before he points to both the speaker on the ground and the speakers up in the air. 

“What happened?” Eight asks. With her hands over her ears, she looks just as pained as Marina felt.

Marina unplugs her ears. She can hear ringing. Maybe she should have put on her headphones.

“The speakers blew out.” Three says and she’s frowning at the stage as one of the speakers pops and a sub-woofer begins to hang by a few wires. “That's never happened before.” 

“It must’ve been the feedback,” Marina says. “Though, it looked like it was her voice?”

“No voice is that powerful though.” Three furrows her eyebrows. 

Eight tries to sneak a peek at the stage but people crowd it. “Maybe just a speaker failure then?” 

The announcer comes back on stage and shouts over the murmurs of the crowd. “Sorry folks, looks like we’ll have to end things a few minutes earlier tonight!” 

There’s a few groans and boos, though most people begin heading towards the edges to grab their coats. 

"I know, we're very sorry. As a reminder tomorrow is Electronica night, we should have all the speakers working by then so please come again."

“Well, I guess that’s it.” Three says grabbing the jacket on the table. 

Eight sighs. “Yeah I guess so. Sorry Marina, outing cut short.” 

“It’s fine!” Marina says and she means it. “It was nice getting out.” 

“Do you want to go anywhere else?” Eight asks. “We could go to another club.” 

Marina glances at her phone. Already one thirty in the morning? “I think I’m good for the night. I have some work I want to get a jump start tomorrow.” 

“Marina, all you do is work,” Eight frowns at her. “Didn’t you say this was your first weekend off? You sure you don’t want to go somewhere else?” 

“I’m fine, Eight.” Marina says again. “I’m pretty tired from the day.” 

Eight looks at her and doesn’t seem impressed. Thankfully she doesn't push. “If you say so. If you decide to change your mind I’m thinking of heading to Tentakeel Outpost.” 

Marina fiddled with the edge of her headphones. 

Tentakeel Outpost was only three minutes away from where Marina worked, ten minutes from where she lived. Located in the Square it was a new ‘bumpin’ bar with a cozy atmosphere. Apparently it was run by two cousins that were nice and personable, but Marina had never gone so what she knew was only through word of mouth. Eight had a habit of going after work just to catch up on the new gossip.

She sighs, “Alright, I’ll think about it.” 

Eight gives a small smile, “Do you have a ride?”

“I was planning on taking the subway back in.” There should be a line still open. “If not, it's not a long walk and I know which area to avoid.” 

“I’ll come with you.” Eight grabs her jacket. “It’s dangerous to go alone. You don’t know who’s skeevy and creepy at this time of night.” 

“Eight, I can handle myself.” Marina places a hand on her friend’s shoulder. She had both pepper spray and military grade self defense training to fall back on. “Go have fun. If anything happens I’ll call you. Spend some time with Three.” She ends with a wink.

The other woman frowns at her. Instead of arguing back, a fight she would have totally lost, she pushes her long jacket into Marina’s hands. “Just in case, put this on, don’t want you to get harassed.” 

“... Thank you.” Marina says and they hug each other. She turns to the other woman who’s still frowning at the stage. “It was nice meeting you, Three.” 

“Likewise,” Three says without a beat missed. Her green eyes meet Marina's and she smiles. “I bet we’ll see each other again soon.” 

“Likely.” Marina laughs and she steps away and looks at Eight. “I’ll see you later, if not tomorrow then in class on Monday.” 

“Actually,” Eight glances at Three before raising her eyebrows. “Three and I are gonna have a little shindig tomorrow night. Wanna come?” 

Parties… “Eight, you know how much I like crowds.” 

“It’s only me, Three, and a few other friends.” Eight grabs her hand. “I promise, see? Pinky promise.” 

They lock fingers and Marina just sighs. “Alright, I’ll think about that too. I probably will not be able to get to the Outpost then to get my sleep.” 

“No problem!” Her friend’s face lights up. “So maybe see you tomorrow?”

“Maybe see you tomorrow.” The grad student replies. She finds her purse on the booth’s seat.

“Text me every two minutes.” Eight says. Marina smiles at her again before she slips on Eight’s coat and heads out. 

The air has a slight chill to it for a spring night and she heads down towards the station. She passes a few of the attendees who are muttering to themselves while smoking. 

Along the way she gets hollered at a few times from cars that pass, but she ignores them and they luckily don’t slow down to stop her like some have done in the past. She makes it finally to the Metro and relief relaxes her body. The white walls are bright against the light, and compared to the night it makes her blink a few times as they adjust. 

Reading the schedule, Marina’s thankful that there's a line still open this late which will save her twenty minutes of walking. She pays for her ticket by one of the machines and makes her way through the gate. 

There’s only a few others around. A couple to her right were more focused on each other than her and an old man across the platform looked to be sleeping on a bench.

She breathes a sigh of relief as she looks at her phone. Eleven minutes until the one forty-five subway cart. Eight has already texted her six times since her walk. 

Marina’s in the middle of answering when there’s a loud thud behind her. She jumps, then fumbles with her phone as she begins to hear shouting behind her. Who would shout in a subway station at almost two in the morning? She turns around.

Short, dyed vibrant pink hair enters her vision and she gasps, almost dropping her phone again.

It’s Pearl. Her back is to her and she’s far enough away that she couldn’t have heard Marina’s voice. She has a guitar slung over her back and a heavy looking bag over her shoulder. 

She’s not alone.

“-It’s not my fault that they wouldn’t listen to me!” Her shoulders are hunched over with tension. She’s moving towards the ticket machine. “I told them and even offered to change the speakers myself! They said no, even though it was in the contract. It was their fault. Their liability. There shouldn’t be any problems.” 

“The problem is that the concert had to end early.” He shoots back. It’s the bass player. “And now we’re going to be out a few hundred because you couldn’t control the volume of your voice!” 

“It wouldn’t have happened,” Marina can hear an edge starting to creep into her voice. “If they had used my speakers!” 

“That’s what you said the last time, and look where it got us.” The band mate growls. “This is the second time this month. The band can’t keep paying for your mistakes. If you would have just followed us instead of going all out on that last one we would’ve been fine!” 

“Follow _you guys_? All I’ve been doing is following you. There’s been no conversation between us. It’d help if you guys, you know, listened to me?”

There’s a scoff. “You know, the other band mates have been talking and I think we’ve come to a decision.” 

“What are you gonna do? Kick me out or something? I started this fuckin’ band.” 

“No, but we're quitting and starting our own band.” 

Marina gets a glimpse of the anger on Pearl’s face as the woman turns around and she looks away, realizing this was probably supposed to be a private conversation. There was silence for a few minutes. 

“All I ask for is a voice and this is what I get. Fuckin’ fine. Good luck finding a better singer-song writer to take my fucking place.” She hisses and venom drips off of every word. 

“We will, and we’ll be more famous than you ever will. I bet your Daddy will be happy to have you back home, huh. ” The band mate sneers. “Nice working with you, Pearl. Your check will be considered a donation to the funds we lost. Not like you need it.”

“Fuck off. I’m tired of hearing your whiny voice.”

“Really classy Pearl, really classy.” 

“Go. Away.” 

“Yeah yeah, I hear you.” The sound of pounding feet fade away.

Silence enters the metro station once more, though now it’s thick with something tense. Marina looks anywhere but behind her as she hears the security gate whirl. 

There’s another thud right next to her. She glances to her left to see Pearl with her arms crossed, scowling at the station’s tracks. She’s a lot shorter than she looked on stage, just barely reaching Marina’s shoulder. It must’ve been the angle. Her pink hair looked a little ruffled, her blonde roots just on the cusp of showing through.

They stand there in relative silence as Pearl taps her foot and Marina wonders if she should say anything.

She glances at Pearl and then again after a few more seconds, and then-

“If you want to say something get it out.” 

Marina jumps at being caught and looks towards the short woman. She bites her lip, expecting to get an angry stare back, but Pearl isn’t looking at her. She's hunched over again, shoulders tenser than before. Her foot is tapping at a breakneck speed. She lifts her arm and drags it across her eyes. Was she… crying?

“I’m sorry.” Is what Marina ends up saying. “I couldn’t help but listen.” 

“You don’t need to apologize for hearing us screaming.” Pearl waves off the apology, though her voice is a little thick. “It was bound to happen. I could feel it coming from a mile away. I’m sorry you had to listen to it.”

“Oh, um.” Marina chews at her lip before saying, “You were very good tonight, I enjoyed your music even if the speakers blew out.” 

At this Pearl laughs, a little rough like it’s forced, but looks up and squints at her. Marina looks at her. Being so close she has a full view of her face. The first thing she notes is that Pearl has piercings all over. Two lip rings, an eyebrow piercing, and a nose piercing. When she moves to shift her guitar, she gets a glimpse of the studs on her ears as well. Every piece was black which fits her aesthetic. 

She’s not wearing the golden crown either, Marina realizes, and over her punk outfit is a worn out pink jacket that looks like it’s seen better days. 

Honestly, it looked like she had seen better days. Especially with the dark bags under her eyes.

Her posture relaxes as her eyes widen, “Oh hey, you’re back corner headphones girl.” 

Marina blinks at her, “What?”

“You were in the back corner with those headphones around your neck. I think you were with, uh, Redhead and Greenhead too, right?” 

“That's… right.” Marina clears her throat. “I’m surprised you could see me. Would’ve thought the corner was too dark.” 

“I can see everyone from up there.” Pearl says. “Yeah sometimes it's a little hard during the concert, but during break the stage lights shine super bright and the crowd is lit up. I try to remember people’s faces just in case they come see me backstage. It makes them feel seen, ya know.”

How thoughtful, Marina thinks and raises her eyebrows. “Amazing, there must’ve been at least a couple hundred people there.” 

Pearl shrugs and looks away. “Good turn out, but I’ve seen more when people are sneaking in through the emergency exit. That’s when things get a little rowdy and bouncers have to do shit to get people off the stage.” 

“Sounds a little terrifying.” Marina imagines the room with triple the people. She’s glad this concert didn’t turn out as such. 

“It’s chaos.” The short woman admits. “But it’s fun. I love the adrenaline and people are generally nice.” She scowls. “Besides the people that matter the most. Damn band. Assholes.” 

“Yeah.” Marina agrees because that’s all she feels like she can say. They stand in silence again for a minute. Pearl silently seething and Marina silently staring back at her phone. Eight is texting her, asking if she’s getting on the train safely. She answers yes, prompting Eight to send a thumbs up emoji. 

“So what's your name, headphones girl.” Pearl asks. The other girl blinks at her surprised. 

“Marina.” 

“Marina…” The way Pearl says it makes her shiver. “Nice to meet you, you might’ve already known this, but the name’s Pearl.” She holds out a hand. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” She shakes it. 

“This might sound weird but, can I ask why you came to listen?” 

The dark haired woman looks at the shorter woman. Her bag was between her legs and her hands in her jacket pockets. Her light brown eyes were curious, and it didn't seem like she was about to cry anymore. “My friend, ah, the redhead you saw, brought me out to have fun. Haven’t been able to get out in a while so it was worrying her. I think she thinks I’m a workaholic.” 

Pearl nods, “Makes sense. What do you do?” 

“I’m a grad student at the Cuttlefish College.” Marina fidgets with her headphones. The padding is getting loser meaning it's time for an upgrade. “Studying aeronautics with a minor in architecture.” She also remixes old records on the side but that’s just a hobby.

Pearl whistles, loud and long. “Damn. That place is hard to get into. You must be like a genius or something.” 

Marina gives a polite laugh, “Nothing of the sort. Just a lot of studying.” 

“No way,” Pearl leans back on the heels and leans over at the waist. “The only people I know there are geniuses so in relation you must be a genius.” 

Not used to the praise Marina just gives a small smile and pushes her hair behind her ear. “If you say so.” 

“I do!” The force behind her words makes Marina pause. Pearl's looking at her with furrowed eyebrows and a frown. “God, people always try to downplay their achievements. Like, come on. You worked for it, take a compliment with pride!” 

Marina just stares at her, then sighs. “Alright, Thank you, then.” She resigns. 

“Ah,” The short woman points at her. “Now that’s a real smile.” 

Rolling her eyes, Marina just looks at her. “What are you, a judge on what a smile is now?” 

“I know when someone’s faking it.” Pearl says and for some reason Marina believes it. The shorter girl links her hands behind her neck and unbends. “Our lives are too short to fake it. Might as well make genuine choices.” 

It’s an odd statement, like the ex-lead singer has seen more than her age’s worth. Pearl was odd. Marina kinda likes it.

“Are you making genuine choices?” Marina asks. Pearl raises the pierced eyebrow. 

A second goes by before she answers, “Getting there.”

Marina hums and goes quiet when she hears the sound of a train in the distance getting closer. The automated voice calls in that the train will be there any second, and not a moment later it slides in, screeches to a halt. 

There’s a hiss as the doors open. Marina steps in and so does Pearl after she hauls the heavy bag onto her shoulder. 

Marina sits right next to the door. 

“Where are you headed?” Pearl asks as she keeps standing. She grabs on to the nearest handrail after the doors close with a warning ding.

“The Plaza.” The dark haired girl says. “I’m in one of the apartments above the stores.” 

“Oh snap, really? I just moved to the next area over a few months ago.” Pearl sets her bag between her feet again. She switches from the handrail and grabs the metal poll next to Marina’s seat to steady herself as the train lurches forwards. “Is it nice there?” 

“It’s livable, a little drafty but everything else works.” Her apartment had a broken AC and a leaky faucet, but the hot water worked and the coffee shop next door had WiFi she could mooch off of so it was alright. 

“Ey nice. ”

“Where do you live?” Marina asks, tilting her head. 

“Oh, in the Square.” Pearl rubs the back of her neck. “It’s pretty nice, though there’s a lot of noise from the four high schools in the area. Place gets swamped with kids.” 

“Are there really four?” Marina knew there were two because she passes them on the bus ride every day. 

“Yeah, one for every district.” She runs a hand through her short bangs that definitely look self done. “It’s stupid annoying when I have to listen to teens practically screaming about something every hour of the day with their friends.” 

Marina winces, “I feel you, once I had to listen to a girl talk about her romantic life for a solid three hours right below my window.” She had put on her headphones for the majority of it but when she finally took them off the dilemma the teen had was still raging on. 

“Hah.” Pearl snorts. “So you know they get worse the longer the convo goes on. God, I hate teenagers.” 

Marina shrugs, “I guess I remind myself I was a teenager once. You have to start somewhere.”

“Yeah, but then I remember I was god-awful as a teenager. Honestly I was probably the bitchiest girl there was.” Pearl’s face drops and she gives a stiff groan as if remembering was painful. “Pink fluffy dress, the whole shebang, disgusting.” 

Marina tries to imagine Pearl in a puffy dress but shakes her head. “You wore color?” 

Pearl chuckles, “Once a long time ago. I think I snapped somewhere between getting a gown fitted for a party and when my parents lost it over my first piercing that wasn’t the normal lobes.” 

“So you were a classic delinquent.” The comment makes Pearl laugh from the gut. Marina smiles at the ground. 

“You know what, I really was. I was like what you see on television or what not, when-” And she stops suddenly, and looks away. 

The grad student raises an eyebrow. “When...?”

“When, like, they go rogue.” Pearl answers and it’s a lame attempt at finishing the sentence. “Anyway, teenagers suck, end of story.” 

Not wanting to pry Marina lets it slide, saying “I guess if you say it, it must be true.”

Pearl just chuckles again. 

The conversation lulls into silence. Marina feels her phone buzz and she looks down to read Eight’s message asking her if she’s home yet. She texts back no, and wonders if she should tell her if she’s met _Pearl_ but she decides maybe now isn’t the best time. 

“You headin’ home?” Pearl asks. Marina looks at her. 

“Yes, it’s technically past my bedtime.” It’s partly true and partly not. Marina likes sleeping at a consistent time because if she doesn't then she’ll stay up until seven the next morning and her roommates won’t be happy. 

“Haven’t heard of someone having a bedtime since middle school.” Pearl tilts her head. "You the kind who schedules everything in a planner?"

Something in her voice makes Marina raise an eyebrow, “Is that bad?”

“No, no!” Pearl waves her hands then almost stumbles with the train’s movement. She grabs the pole again. “Hell, must be workin’ for you or somethin’.” 

_You could say that_ , Marina thinks as she remembers the stacks of drafts that are sitting on her desk. “For the most part. What about you, are you heading home?” 

“Mm,” The short woman bites her lip and looks to the side. “I dunno, maybe, or maybe I’ll head to the bar since now I’m out of a gig. Drinking sounds pretty nice right now.” She shrugs. “Goin’ to the flow of golden liquid, as they say.”

“I've never heard anyone say that." Marina says. "And sleep is important. It helps with everything, including mood, much better than alcohol ever will.” 

“That’s what they say,” Pearl scoffs. “Because the researchers are all nerds and don’t go out because they’re stuck inside all day doing their research.” 

Marina rolls her eyes. “I have a few friends who would say otherwise.” 

“Aye, nerds drinking doesn't sound like fun.” Pearl smirks, "Ever been to like, a real party?"

Marina thinks back to the disasters she witnessed, some of them she was apart of. "I'll over look the fact you assume my friends can't be party animals and say no."

Pearl grins, "I bet I could make it interesting. Like, if you don’t like alcohol I get you but, if it’s the company you’ve never been at a party with me as MC.” 

“I'd rather relax and watch a movie, to be completely honest." Marina looks out the window opposite of her. It's pitch black, and the tiny subway train cart feels like the only world in existence. "I have to work with others all day, I'd rather not see them in a different light."

“I get you, People are exhausting.” Pearl whips out her phone and it almost blinds Marina with how many rhinestones are over the case. It’s pink, bright pink, and probably the biggest phone one can get on the current market. “ Okay, I have an idea. If you're willing to give me your number, I was planning on having a small get together for the start of summer, like a summer bash." At Marina's look Pearl just raises a hand, "Hear me out. This might be more your style, 'cause it's gonna just be me and a couple of friend. We're gonna have a few drinks and watch a movie. I can text you the details when it happens.” 

Marina raises her eyebrows. Pearl looks like she’s trying to be relaxed but there’s something behind her eyes Marina can't place. "Isn't it dangerous to give someone you just met your phone?"

"Eh, there's nowhere you can go. I think it'll be alright." She shrugs. "Unless you don't want to! That's fine too."

The grad student stares at her before she looks at the phone. Maybe it was the cider but Marina felt... intrigued. "Alright," she says as she takes the phone. "I'll bite." 

Pearl grins then blinks as Marina presses her own phone into her open hand. “If I give you mine you have to give me yours.” 

Pearl’s eyes go wide and round before they soften, and she smiles. Something within Marina’s chest burns. Grabbing it she began typing, “No prob, I can do that.” 

The subway’s intercom crackles, and soon the robotic voice is announcing that it’s Marina’s stop. Just in time they swap phones as the train screeches to a stop. Marina stands, brushing Eight’s jacket off and looks out the window to see the familiar platform. 

“This your stop?” Pearl asks and Marina nods. 

“It was nice meeting you, Pearl.” 

“Nice meetin’ you too, Marina” The other woman smirks. “See ya.”

The doors open with a hiss and Marina steps out onto the platform. The air no longer has a chill to it, instead it’s warm. It feels like summer. She turns around and waves at Pearl who in turn salutes back. They smile at each other as the doors close, and the train leaves into the night. 

As Marina walks back to her apartment, there’s something lighter in the air, and she can't help but silently thank Eight for inviting her.

Maybe Eight was right, going out was good for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Splatoon entered my brain and now can't get out so here's something. Idk how much I'll write but I just, love pearlina. 
> 
> Find me on twitter @homunerd/ @SquidRyder (Splatoon/Nintendo account)!
> 
> Stay safe, stay fresh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pearl's night out.

Pearl bangs her head on the bar and groans. “She was so nice? Like, talking to her was a breath of fresh air.”

She had sat herself down at the bar two hours ago after getting off the subway. There is barely anyone in the Outpost right now.

It's a blessing to be the only one there. Most of the crowds shuffled out, some had been tossed out, so she currently has the bartender’s full attention. 

“What did she look like?” Callie asks while wiping down the counter. Pearl’s glad it’s Callie and not Marie, because Marie would’ve begun teasing her relentlessly. “Maybe I’ve seen her around.”

“Where do I even begin…” Pearl curls her hand around her glass half full with beer. She watches the small bubbles inside float up to the surface. It hypnotizes her. “Tall, dark skin, greenish-blue eyes that just stared into your soul, and she has a mole on the side of her mouth, like mine but like, the other side... she also wears headphones?"

Callie tilts her head then shakes it. "Don't recall anyone looking like that. Too bad."

Pearl looks down, "You're probably going to meet her soon. I invited her to the Beginning of Hell night. We swapped numbers.” Pearl sighs, closing her eyes.

“You invited her to Beginning of Hell night _and_ got her number?” Callie whistles, “Dang, maybe if I was a rockstar I could find beautiful women who would talk to me. Alas, here I am behind this bar, cleaning glasses. Tragic.” 

Pearl snorts as the bartender pretends to weep. “Don'tcha get a good amount of girls in here? I heard this place has gettin’ more active the past few weeks.” 

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Callie sticks out her tongue. “It’s getting harder to manage. Anyways, yeah, there are, but they always come with their boyfriends. There's barely any girls alone.” She sighs heavily. “They talk to me but it's obviously forced. If only there were some nice sapphics that aren’t you that I could talk to.” 

“Hey!” Pearl puffs out her cheeks. “Fuckin’ rude.” 

“I love you, but also...” Callie trails off as she just looks away, wiping another glass. Pearl just rolls her eyes. 

“I know, I know.” Pearl takes a swig of her beer and lays her head back onto the bar. “I’m a lesbian disaster.” 

“Hey at least you’re not Marie.” The black haired woman says. She sets down the glass and straightens her bright pink vest. It was the same color as the bow pulling back her hair. She looks sharp in it, combined with her black slacks. She makes a face. “She’s been trying to get the attention of this woman for like, three weeks, and the girl still doesn’t get it.” 

“Ooph.” Marie was brash, sarcastic, and blunt, but when it came to romance she was different. It was something close she kept against her heart. Or that’s what Callie always says, when Marie’s out of listening range. It must’ve taken some guts to try to put herself out there. “How’s she dealing with it?” 

“By being Marie.” Callie sighs. She picks up another glass. “She’s been complaining about it every hour she gets off shift and I’m getting tired of it.” 

Pearl peers up at the bartender. “You look into Mystery Girl?” 

“Yeah, apparently she’s like a star prodigy. I mean she’s twenty four, but like this woman’s won nationals in like five different sport categories already, it’s crazy.” 

Pearl lets out a low whistle and leans back to stretch. “Damn, how’d she end up here?” 

“Cuttlefish College.” Callie sets the glass on the rack. “‘Parently they have what she wants, even though there's no division team for the billion sports she plays.” 

“Name?” 

“It’s odd, according to Marie she just goes by Four.” Callie shrugs. “Maybe an alias or something, beats me. I couldn’t even find her real name anywhere. It’s just all ‘Four’ this ‘Four’ that.” 

“Weird.” Pearl mumbles as she downs the rest of her beer. She hands the glass to Callie who takes it wordlessly and puts it in the sink. “Do you mind if I crash upstairs? I’m not feelin' the best to be walkin' around the streets. Might slug someone just for the hell of it.” The last part was a joke, but the way Callie was looking at her it didn’t hit the mark.

“Yeah, go ahead.” Callie says. She pauses mid-rinse as she stares at her for a moment. “You never did tell me what happened at the concert. You don’t usually get like this unless something bad happens.” 

“Eh, wasn’t much of a worry.” Pearl waves her hand trying to dissipate the unspoken questions. She closes her eyes, god it must’ve been almost four in the morning by now. The low buzz of the four beers she had was feeling good. “Speakers blew again and then everyone quit. Happens.” 

“They _quit_ on you?” 

Pearl winces and she peaks an eye open. Callie is frowning. Callie never frowns. “Uh, yeah. It’s fine though it was gonna happen sooner or later.” She’s known for weeks. It was her fault, in the end, when she foolishly ignored every sign. 

She… just wishes it didn’t hurt so much. It hurt more a few hours ago when she didn’t have the alcohol in her system, but even now the aching in her chest feels like it’s going to swallow her whole. 

“You dedicated one hundred percent of your time for that band’s success, and they just threw it all away?” Callie scowls down at Pearl’s glass. “Butt-Fucks.” 

Pearl barks a laugh then shakes her head, ignoring the aching in her chest. “It was my fault anyways, I wasn’t careful enough. This was the second time it’s happened, I should’ve known the new song would’ve made me too excited.”

“The point of singing is to convey emotion. You shouldn’t have to worry about monitoring the purpose of music.” She’s scrubbing the glass a lot harder than she normally does. “I knew they were idiots. I just didn’t expect them to go that far.” 

“Hey, It’s chill. I… I had it coming.” 

Callie looks up and stares at her again. It’s like she’s trying to analyze her layer by layer. Marie does the same thing, in the same way. It's always unsettling. 

It always makes Pearl feel small. “Anyways, is the passcode still the same? I’mma crash on your plush carpet.” 

“The couch is free. Marie finally bought another bed.” Callie says. “And yeah, passcode is the same, no one’s been able to get in yet so hopefully it stays like that.” 

“Great thanks Cal.” She sides of the chair and huffs as the weight of the world falls on her shoulders. She sways a little, but stays on her feet. 

“No problem Pearl, just be quiet ‘cause I think Marie just went to bed.” She stops cleaning. “Wait, Pearl.” 

The short girl stops and turns. “Eh?”

“You were better than them. They… They were not kind people.” Callie’s voice is full of an emotion that Pearl can’t place, but it makes her chest tighten. It sounds like she cares. “You’ll find a better group next time, one who will work with you.”

Pearl gives her a lopsided smile. “I hope so, I want to collaborate, I was… tired of pulling teeth.” Rehearsals had always been like talking to brick walls, but that's what she gets for trying. 

Callie’s eyes look gold in the lighting. She gives a gentle smile. “I just wanted to make sure you knew, now go to bed, you look terrible.” 

Pearl holds her smile as she gives a tired thumbs and shuffles off to the back door. 

Callie and Marie had been gratuitous hosts ever since Pearl had gotten to the city. Well, maybe not _hosts_. They're meeting wasn’t planned. It was more like, they were angels that found Pearl in a time of need. Then then after the angel requirement was satisfied, they became demons, who sassed Pearl any time they could. 

Pearl had just moved into the Square when she stumbled into the bar. The singer doesn’t remember most of it, but according to them she opened the door, already half drunk, bleeding from various places after trying to fight four people at once when they badmouthed her. She swayed over to the bar, asked for a soda, then collapsed. They must’ve felt some pity, because the next thing she knew she woke up in their flat, patched up. 

She proceeded to stumble over herself to give them money or anything they wanted. Deeply ashamed, but grateful none the less.

They declined. Marie with a sad smile and Callie shaking her head. 

Ever since then, she’s gone every few days to their place. Gives the local bar business, and a place where the singer can rant about anything. Somewhere along the weeks they became friends. Hell, they even allowed her to sleep over a few times when the days of being alone get too hard.

It’s nice, having people to talk to. It’s nice not being alone for once.

Their apartment, located above Tentakeel Outpost, was modern and polished. All chrome and white paint, though bordered with wood paneling that makes it more homey.

When Pearl opens the door and flipped on the lights, she is immediately met with a pile of clothes tossed on the back of the couch. The pink and white color scheme tips her off that they are Callie’s. 

She looks to her right and sees a green laundry basket, Marie’s. Next to it, there’s a pink tipped over laundry basket with more clothes spilling out, once again, Callie’s.

She rubs her eyes and sighs. After picking up all the couch clothes, she throws them next to the tipped over basket. She then grabs the blanket that was uncovered by the mess and promptly flops onto the couch with a thud. 

Pearl stares at the ceiling, and her mind begins to wander. She’s lucky to be able to keep doing what she’s doing. Her family was… tolerating it. They give her funds to live alone and everything. The only thing she has to show were two flunking bands and half decent produced songs. 

She keeps doing it though. Maybe to find _it_. The energy, the passion, the feeling of being _alive_. 

It was like a drug. A high that would wrap her body in excitement.

Pearl realizes in that moment _it_ hasn’t existed in ages. Has it died? Will she ever get that feeling back? Is it time to call it quits? The thought hurts her soul and she just shakes her head trying to clear them away. 

Sleep tugs at her thoughts and she lets it consume her. Within minutes she’s asleep.

She wakes to light streaming into her eyes. Her head begins pounding. Where was she? She mumbles in distress, and stuffs her head into the pillow. Her bed is stiffer than she remembers. 

“Oh, you’re awake.” 

Pearl cracks open her eyes. “Ugh.” She says as the previous day’s woes sink back into her head. Blearily, she sits up with a groan. Her head is still thumping, and now her throat is parched. “I feel kinda dead but yeah, unfortunately.” 

Marie sits next to her. She’s dressed for the day, in a green vest and black slacks. Her light, almost silver hair is done up in her normal pony. It’s tied with the matching sequined green bow, similar to the pink one Callie always wears. She passes a glass and when Pearl realizes it’s water she hastily downs it with a sigh of relief. 

“Thanks.” She says as she wipes the dripping water from her mouth.

“Callie says your band quit on you?” Marie asks bluntly.

Pearl winces. “Yeah.” She wishes she didn’t down her drink so she could pointedly ignore Marie. “Like I told her though, it was coming.” 

Marie just rolls her eyes. “Didn’t you say this happened with your last band at home as well? How do you even find these people anyways.” 

“Last time I found people in my school.” Pearl mumbles. “This time it was through Craigslist.” 

Marie guffaws. “Only you could make it this far like that.” She slaps her on the back. Even though she wasn’t a heavy hitter like Callie was, it still hurt. “Honestly I just assumed you got people off of the streets.”

“That’s a little dangerous.” The pink haired woman rolls her eyes. “Don’t you have to leave soon for your shift?”

“I have a few minutes. Doesn’t open until one.” Marie leans back against the couch. “And getting people off of Craigslist isn’t it?”

“I mean…” Pearl shrugs. “It’s easier to find people. Bigger range, less familiar faces.” 

“Sure, and just as easy to find creeps.” 

“Hey, my father hated the idea so I had to love it.” 

Marie gives another light laugh before standing up. “So you're out of a job now?” 

“Yeah, until I put up another Craigslist ad.” Pearl leans back and eyes Marie. “Why?”

“We’ve been meaning to hire some more help.” Marie says and she straightens out her vest. “The eight hour shifts are getting a little too hard to manage plus doing all the business side. I asked Callie and she agrees if you need a job, there’s one for you here.” Maire pauses. “Please don’t go through Craigslist, I’ll have Callie punch you if I find one.”

Pearl winces again. She saw Callie slug a six foot tall football once when he was getting too rowdy and made him keen over like he wasn’t a slab of muscle. Pearl also saw her break someone’s nose. “Okay, I won't. But the job thing, are you sure? It’s… not like I need the money.” 

“You’re around here enough.” Marie uses her fingers to comb through her bangs. “Maybe instead of money you could get free drinks or whenever. Let’s call it a mutual exchange.” 

“Hmm.” The thought does sound tempting. “I don’t really know how to mix drinks.” Pearl points out. “Plus you know how _charming_ I can be with people.” 

“We’d train you, and you have to just tolerate people to be a bartender. Look at me, I’m less than charming, but people still talk to me.” Marie grabs a water bottle from the fridge before heading to the stairs. “Think about it, let me know, I wanna put an ad up soon.” She opens the door. “Feel free to stay here for a little bit if you want. Callie’s sleeping though, so stay low.” 

“Naw, I’ll be out of your hair.” Pearl stands up and stretches. “Ugh, I need to take a shower.” 

“Well, if you need anything you know where to find me.” Marie says with a shrug. “If I’m busy see you later.” 

“Yeah, see you, and… Thanks for letting me crash, Marie.” 

Marie smirks, “We’re just racking up favor points, don’t get too relaxed.” 

Pearl shakes her head. If anyone else said that she would have paid the tab and dropped them, but it’s Marie, so she smiles. “I wouldn’t expect it any other way.” 

Ten minutes later she was out the door. She leaves a note for Callie on the fridge, once again thanking them for their hospitality. Equipped with her guitar, her music, and mini amp she trudges through the streets making her way back to her apartment.

The sun is hot on her back as she tries to maneuver her way through the crowd. It’s a Saturday during late afternoon, so the sidewalks are filled with teenagers and adults milling around, most shopping. The amount of people thicken in front of each store. It takes all Pearl’s energy to not shout at them to move. Instead she just grumbles, and goes around the long way. 

A number of kids in paintball gear pass her. A new place had just opened up with everything from air-soft to other activities. They have even gotten sponsorships from the surrounding malls and crap, setting up arenas there for tournaments which makes the place even more popular.

Pearl doesn’t particularly care for it, but it has made getting through the center much more inconvenient.

During her way back, she sees a few dogs and can't help but ask the owners to pat them. They allow her, much to her excitement. It brightened her day, if just a little bit. 

Bidding them farewell, she finally arrives at her flat. Throwing open the door, she closes it just as fast, dumping everything onto the ground before jumping onto her couch. 

She flips on the TV before grabbing her phone. There’s a few new messages. The first was some of her bandmates… or ex-bandmates. Two of them cussed her out, while the last one texted her like a decent human being. She respondes to that one with similar decency, then blocks the numbers of the others. 

The group popped up with the last messages from before the concert. The most recent message was from the webmaster.

 _You have been kicked from the conversation_.

In all honesty, the whole situation feels freeing. She doesn’t have to worry about stepping on toes or getting shit for trying to do her work. She no longer has to stay up until the ass-crack of dawn writing a new piece that gets thrown into a blender as the band rips it apart. She… she can just live again?

It’s scary, Pearl thinks as she lays staring at the ceiling, Starting anew. But, she’s done it once, so she can do it again. 

But then again, was her heart still in it? All the work and dedication...

Instead of thinking deeper, she turns her attention back to the list of messages. There’s one from Callie, the timestamp is five in the morning, probably when she got off her shift. 

Callie > I know you won’t read this when you wake up but when you do I’m here for you if you need me! I’ll probably be sleeping as well but feel free to text me.

Pearl smiles and texts back.

Pearl > Thanks Callie, sleep well. Dunno what i would’ve done without you idiots. 

She hits send.

There’s one from her father, which she doesn't open, and goes back to looking at the last message. Her head is still aching, maybe she should take an aspirin. 

Marina > Hey! It’s Marina. I hope you are doing well. I know this might be out of the blue, but my friend, Eight (the redhead), is going to a party at her place tonight. She says it’s a small gathering, but knowing her there’s only going to be one person I know. I was wondering if you wanted to come. Let me know, thanks!

Pear’s eyes shoot open and she sits up. 

Marina > Also, I know you’re considered famous and such, and both my friend and her friends are fans! So if you don’t want to I totally understand! 

Oh shit! Oh shit? oh shit. 

She immediately starts typing back.

Pearl > Ayo! Marina! Thanks for askin’! i’d love to come. I can even bring my guitar if you want, lmfao!!

The singer hesitates over the send button. Was it too forward? Too excited? A voice echoes in the back of her mind that suspiciously sounds like Marie’s tells her she's overthinking. 

She deletes the text then begins typing again. 

Pearl > Ey! Nice to hear from you. hell yeah I’ll come, just tell me where and when. PS. i don't mind about the fan thing, glad they like my music.

Holding her breath, she hits send. 

Pearl then proceeds to throw her phone across the room with a shout. It thuds against the floor and skids into the kitchen.

“Why am I so useless.” She grumbles as she lays back down with a huff. 

Guess it’s only natural for a bull-shitter to bull-shit her way through life. 

She lays on the couch for another five minutes until her phone buzzes. She groans, then finally wills herself to her feet. Snatching it she unlocks it to see Marina’s name.

Marina > Sounds great! Will be nice to see you again! Meet at Tentakeel Outpost at 7:30 pm, we’re going to get some drinks there then after everyone’s planning on walking to Eight’s apartment. I think people want to play some board games. 

Fuck… 

“I can do this.” Pearl mummers as she sends a thumbs up emoji. She can only imagine Marie or Callie watching her from the other side of the bar being as useless as she's spoken about. 

The time reads two o’clock, so she has time to kill. A nap didn’t sound so bad, but she’s stinky from the club and the bar so she grabs one of her old ragged towels and her plush bathrobe, before hopping into the shower. 

The water is scalding, but she doesn’t make it cooler. It wakes up her body and makes her feel more alive. Like she lives in her body as opposed to the weird sleepy haze she had been trekking around in. Pearl just stands there, taking in the steam before finally washing her hair. 

She steps out of the shower refreshed, tugging on her bathrobe, and slinging the towel over her neck she wipes away the condensation of her bathroom mirror and stares at herself. 

Pearl didn’t really know what to expect. She never does, honestly. This time, Her skin is ruddy from the water, but pale nonetheless. The black lip piercings stood out against her skin. Dark bags sat under her eyes and looked permanent. She smirks, and the reflection smirks back like a douchebag. 

She frowns, and it frowns back at her like a sad, gremlin baby. 

“Ugh.” She grabs her toothbrush. 

  
  


\------

Pearl finds herself a few hours later doodling on her keyboard as she watches TV. She had changed out of her bathrobe into fresh clothes a half hour before, so now she was just sporting one of her large hoodies and shorts. There’s an action movie playing in the background about some colossal squid, but she’s only half listening. 

She managed to string together some bars of noise, but other than that she’s flat out of ideas. Music making always feels like this. One moment you're riding the high of knowing exactly what you want when you want it; the next it feels like you're grasping for straws. 

Maybe it’s just a creative process thing, Pearl doesn’t know, but whatever it is it sucks. 

Her phone rings. Pearl stands up, stretches, then slouches as she grabs it from the couch. 

“‘Ello?”

“Hime,” Her father’s voice is muffled through the speaker. “Are you still coming to dinner tonight, at eight?”

“Oh sh-” Her knee jerks in surprise, hitting the keyboard. It tilts, dangerously ready to fall, but she manages to grab it and with a held breath she sets it away from her. 

“Hime?” His voice crackles. He was probably using the old home phone. “Is everything alright?” 

“Ah, yes! Papa! Everything’s fine!” She swore again, fumbling with her phone. “Sorry, sorry what did you say?”

“Are you still coming to dinner tonight,” He says. He sounds like he was getting annoyed. “I texted you this morning but you never responded. Remember? We had planned this when you first left home exactly three months ago.”

“Y-Yeah, of course I remember!” Pearl did not remember. “I need a rain check though, I’m feeling sick. I think I caught something. Been throwing up all morning. I don’t want you to catch it.” 

There was a long pause. The pink haired girl begins to worry he doesn’t believe her. 

There's a cough. “You’re not pregnant right?” He sounds so serious it almost made Pearl laugh. 

She doesn’t though, because that thought almost made her hurl right onto the floor for real, but she manages to rein in her disgust. “No! I don’t even have a boyfriend!” She is never going to have a boyfriend. 

“Good.” He sounds relieved. “I was worried when you began gallivanting across the city with no prior knowledge something like that would happen. It’s a dangerous place, Hime. Including the little posy you hang out with. I know you trust them, but-”

Pearl narrows her eyes. “They’re good people, yeah little rough but good at heart.” 

“A little too rough for my taste.” The disdain is laced in his words. “No matter, how has your project been going? Have you thought about coming back home yet?” 

“My band,” Pearl grits out, because it’s always like this. “-is going fine. Have to change out some people, but everything else is working. We’ve already played a few gigs. And no, I think I’ll be fine here.”

Her response was met with silence. It takes a minute, but finally the old man just sighs. “Alright, but if you need any help or a place to stay I will still be here. Have you been getting your allowance?”

Pearl nods even though he can't see it. “Yes, I see it show up every two weeks. Thank you.” 

“Anything for my baby girl.” She can hear her father smiling. “Now, wrap up in a blanket and relax. Please take something, and let’s reschedule for next week. You should be well by then?”

“Yeah,” says Pearl as she shifts the phone from one ear to the other. “Ah, gotta go I feel something coming.” She pretends to make gross noises to really sell the sickness. 

“Alright, get well.”

The call ends with Pearl mashing the end button. She groans. 

It wasn’t as though her father was a bad person, or father even. He provided her everything she wanted. It was more like… how to describe it. 

Sometimes, it just felt as though they never connected on a certain level of understanding. His views on life were just… so different. It felt like talking to one of her bandmates, but worse, somehow. And they were pretty terrible to talk to about opinions as “friends” let alone as “family”.

It just felt like… ugh.

Pearl groans again and flops back on the couch. Maybe she’ll think about her family later. 

Right now, she really needed a nap. 

  
  


———-

  
  


When 7:30 rolls around Pearl stands outside Tentakeel Outpost. The day had passed by, painfully uneventful after the phone call with her father. She is itching to do something, anything, other than watching the minutes and seconds tick down. 

She’s wearing her leather jacket, a fresh black t-shirt, and a pair of black ripped jeans. She even put on a few pieces of jewelry. She didn't bring her crown, even though she wanted to, because that would make too much of a statement. Instead, she slipped on some rings, the thick ones, and a necklace, the one with the moving gears she can play with if she starts having too much energy. 

So she waits, and the waiting is revving her energy so much that she begins to pace. It’s not a great feeling. It makes her feel useless. She hates being early because that means she gets like this, anxious and antsy. She begins fiddling with the gear necklace. 

“Pearl?”

The woman in question stops mid step. She turns. 

Marina is smiling at her. She’s wearing a red baggy sweatshirt that’s zipped open. Underneath is a dark crop top with baggy sweatpants. There's a bandana wrapped around her head and a shoulder bag slung across her body that’s the same color as her eyes. 

Also… Are those abs? “Nice to see you again.” 

The singer’s brain short circuits for a moment, but catches herself fast enough to reply. “Y-You too.” She fumbles and swears at herself. “Uh, how’s the last ten hours been?” 

“Relaxing.” Marina says and her eyes smile too. She has her headphones around her neck, Pearl notices, as she begins playing with one of the metal parts. They glint in the light emitting from the bar. “I was able to get some work done, which is nice. How about you?” 

“Alright,” Pearl shrugs. “Woke up with a bit of a headache, but everything else was uneventful.” 

“That’s good.” Marina nods. “Do you want to head inside? Everyone should be there already.” 

“Inside?” The taller woman's perfectly manicured eyebrow raises at Pearl’s quick question. Aboard. Aboard! To negate damage Pearl bites back a sigh and fakes it. “Yeah! Sure, inside! Let’s go!” 

“Are, you sure you’re alright?” Those teal eyes stare into her soul. “Do you still have a headache? I might have some ibuprofen on me...” She reaches into her bag. 

“Ah naw, I’m fine, like, more than fine, I’m great.” Pearl says as she opens the door. “After you.” She bows dramatically. 

Marina blinks before giggling behind her hand. “Thank you.” 

Pearl smiles and follows her in. 

The Outpost is booming. Most of the tables are filled and the bar is full of lively crowds. The lights are set to a low dim, as they usually were, making the place seem classy. 

“Eight!” Marina calls out and a redhead, who is sitting at the edge of the bar in front of Marie (of all people), turns to her with a grin. She’s in a white t-shirt and shorts. 

Marie’s eyes widen as Pearl meets her eyes. The singer just shrugs, trying to be casual. 

“You made it!” ‘Eight’s’ eyes shift to the side. As they lock on to Pearl, they become saucers. “Holy shit, no way.” 

Pearl makes a peace sign. “Yo.” 

“ _Pearl?_ ” Eight’s incredulous and incredibly loud voice makes a few patrons look their way. “You didn’t say you were bringing _Pearl_ with you!” 

“N-Not so loud.” Marina pats Eight on the shoulder. The other girl sits back in her seat. “Where’s everyone else?” 

“Playing darts.” Eight says, but she’s staring at Pearl like she grew two heads. “Holy _crap_ I’m one of your biggest fans.” 

“Thanks!” Pearl grins. Her usual confident persona taking over the normal awkward personality. “You were a regular, weren’t you? I saw you at a few concerts.” 

“Uh, yeah!” Eight says and she looks like she's gonna faint. She extends her hand. “Eight, well you might’ve heard that already but like, officially.” 

The singer shakes it and Eight squeaks. 

Pearl gets a glimpse of Marie’s face. She has her poker face on, but there’s a hint of a smirk as she places a drink onto the bar. God damn it. 

They take the empty seats next to her. Eight shoves a drink list into Marina’s hands.

“You made it just in time, it started to get super busy a few minutes ago. Three people asked if those seats were free.” Eight laughs while gesturing behind her. 

“No kidding. The place's booming.” Marina agrees. 

Pearl witnessed the recent burst of activity first hand. It’s been a few weeks since the first trickle of “young adults” found the place. Originally a place for college students, it became more diverse as time went on. Callie had said the real boom was from an influencer posting a photo, or something. Hell if Pearl knew. 

“Yeah!” Eight grins. “It’s so cool seeing the place grow, like I’m a part of something.” 

“Can I do anything for you ladies?” Marie asks, sliding over. 

Should… She says she knows Marie or not? On one hand Marina will know that fact eventually, on the other hand, that would open a can of worms that would make Pearl lose face in front of her fans. 

The decision makes her palms a little sweaty.

Eight jumps. “Oh! Marie! This is Pearl! Like holy guacamole this is _Pearl_ , you know the singer I talk about.” 

“Oh, yeah, I remember, the one who sings for Steelhead Mania?” Marie says. Pearl lets out a breath. “Nice to meet you Pearl.” 

“You too… Marie.” Pearl feels her soul leave her body as Marie just winks. Does she owe her one? Maybe. 

“Now what can I get you two.” 

Pearl glances at Marina, who's buried in the menu biting her thumb. “Any beer. Just make sure it’s cold” 

“Got it.” Marie turns her attention on the other woman. “And you?” 

“Ah,” The dark haired woman frowns. “I... I’m not sure, something fruity?” 

“I can make you a mixed drink.” The bartender offers, throwing her towel onto her shoulder. 

Marina rubs her chin. “Can you make it not very alcoholic.” 

“Sure, if you want it.” Marie stands straight. “What’s your favorite fruit?” 

“I like anything, as long as it’s sweet.” 

Marie’s eye glints, “Alright, a surprise then.” 

Marina smiles, politely, as she closes the menu and slides it on the bar. “Thank you.”

Marie smiles back then reaches underneath the bar to grab something. There's a clink as the glass hits the spout. She tugs the handle and beer begins flowing in the glass.

The full glass slides across the top and it rests in front of Pearl. “You’re beer. Spikes’s Home Brew.”

“...Thanks.” Pearl says as she looks at it. Her regular. She sips it. The bitterness is comforting. 

“Nice shot!” Eight yells which scares Pearl slightly. “Oh! Sorry! Ooo! What kinda beer did you get? I’ve been looking for a new one to try.”

“Uh,” She pushes it towards Eight. “Spike’s Home Brew. He only dispatches a few truck loads every season. Have a sip.” 

Eight eagerly does what she is told. She pauses, squishing it in her mouth like she's truly tasting it. Pearl usually just downs half of it in one go. “Yeah that stuff is good. What’s the alcohol percentage?” 

“Ten.” Pearl says, taking it back.

Eight blinks in surprise. “Hm, didn’t taste like it. Nice.”

“Hey Three.” Marina says waving. The other two turn to see two contrasting people pushing through the crowd.

The one with green dyed hair gives Marina a wave back. “You made it. Nice to see you again.” Three turns and ruffles the other woman’s hair. “This is Four, she’s been staying at my place while she attends the college around here.”

“Nice to meet you all.” Four growls as she tries to swat the hand away from her head.

The first thing Pearl noticed about Four is that she’s only a few inches shorter than Three. Still taller than Pearl, in any sense. Her hair is practically golden. Short, but styled with bangs that frame her round face. Her skin is tan and her body is built sturdy. She’s wearing a yellow hoodie and black jersey shorts. 

She is definitely a striking opposite compared to the grungy, emo standing next to her. 

The second thing Pearl realizes is that, damn, this is why Marie was at the bar tonight. She smirks to herself. Info filed for later. 

Eight jumps off the seat. “Four is _so cool_. She won the paintball tournament just last week!” As the other girl bashfully rubs her neck Eight gestures to the two ladies behind her. “This is Pearl and Marina!”

Four grins. “Nice to meet you!” She shakes both of their hands. 

Three turns to her, a response on her tongue before the recognition hits her as her jaw drops. “Wait, fuck, are you _Pearl?_ From _Steelheads?”_

“Yep.” Pearl salutes. “Nice to meet ya.” 

“Where in fucks sake did you find her?” Three turns to Eight. 

The redhead shakes her head. “First, no f-word. Second, I didn’t! Marina did!” They both turn to the dark haired woman. 

Pearl also looks at Marina, leaning back in her seat. Marina blinks as the attention lands on her. 

“We… uh,” She begins playing with her headphones again. “We meet…” Was she blushing?

“We were taking the same subway station after the concert.” The singer supplies as she sees Marina struggling. The other girl breathes out a sigh of relief. “No one else was there so we began talking.”

“Small world,” Three comments and runs a hand through her bangs. “But anyways, I love your music! Your shit is so tight. Don’t know how you thought those lyrics up.”

“They come and go.” Pearl says with a weak shrug. “Mostly go.”

“-Also, your vocals, man.” Three’s raises an eyebrow. “I gotta ask, yesterday, was it a technology issue that made the speakers blow? Looked crazy standing in the crowd.”

It was Pearl’s time to falter. She manages to act quickly but it still sounds like a lie. “Y-Yeah, a technology issue. The speakers were kinda shitty so I guess when I moved too close, the feedback loop damaged them.”

Three tilts her head and nods, “Sucks. Thought they would’ve had better stuff.” 

“Yeah.” Pearl looks away and her hand sneaks up to her necklace. 

“You’re drink.” She hears Marie call out. It saves Pearl as everyone turns. 

Marina looks down at the fluorescent colored liquid. There’s a lime on the edge. “Wow.” 

“So pretty!” Eight leans down to look underneath. “It looks like a sunset. I’m going to take a picture.” 

“Malibu Sunset.” Marie nods. “Through my own rendition, so maybe more of a Tentakeel Sunset. Made sure it isn’t as strong.” 

“Thank you.” Marina says taking a sip. “So good! Strawberries and pineapple?”

Marie gives another nod. “Bingo.” 

“Can I try?” The redhead asks excitedly. 

“Fine.” Marina passes it. 

“So!” Four chimes in. “Do you guys wanna play darts? Three can hold our seats while we go play. I wanted to play another round, but Three said she’s tired of standing.” 

“Sure,” Pearl says. “I bet I can wipe you and Marina.” She’s had enough practice at five in the morning half drunk. How hard could it be?

“Oh really, How much?” Marina asks. Was that a taunt? It was on. 

“Loser pays for the other drink for the rest of the night.”

Marina smiles. It looks a little wicked. “Fine with me.”

“Yo I want in.” Four says. 

“Deal.” Pearl nods. 

“I’m gonna sit this one out,” Eight waves her hands. “Marina’s becomes a beast when it comes to competitions.”

“I do not.” Marina shoots a look at Eight who winces in response.

“I’m thinking back to that one time during Design three-oh-three when you almost made that kid Danny cry because you tore apart his design during the make an airplane challenge-“ 

“That was one time!” Marina hisses. 

“Or that time in Aviation History.” Eight continues. “When there was that jeopardy event and you demolished the other team and won all of the bonus points for the test. No one had even heard you talk before then-“ 

Marina groans. “Okay-“

“Or that other time you liked that girl and you-“ A arm shoves over her mouth and suddenly she’s in a headlock. Pearl watched as Eight’s pulled off her seat. She’s rocking on her heels. 

Impressive. 

“Enough.” Marina grits out. 

“I give! I give! Uncle!” Eight starts rapidly tapping on Marina’s arm. The taller of the two lets go and Eight lands with a plap back on her chair. “Ouch.”

“So!” Marina ignores the whines from next to her as she turns to Pearl. “Sorry about that! You guys still want to bet drinks?” 

“Yeah,” Pearl grins, “I’ll bet drinks.”

  
  


——- 

Marina whips their asses at darts. It's humbling, and humiliating, though Pearl will never admit defeat and tries a second time. They made a deal that the winner would pay for a meal. 

Four is close, but loses just shy of one point.

Pearl loses by ten. 

And now, she sitting back at the bar, scowling as Marina sips her cosmos. From the color it's either strawberry or cherry, something too sweet and too fruity for Pearl’s taste. 

She seems to be enjoying it though. When Marie set it in front of her she did some weird color changing magic trick with the liquids. It made Marina and Eight gasp in awe. 

“I can't believe she won!” Four laughed. She nudges Pearl. “It was close for a second, but golly!”

“I would’ve gotten higher if _some_ people didn’t try to distract me.” Pearl grumbles as she eyes Three and Eight who just shrug in unison. “And who the fuck says golly?”

“I do?” Four gives her a confused look.

“It was funny.” Three says. “When you realized you lost.”

“I had to or Marina would have killed me.” Eight sips her drink as she hangs her head. 

“I would not have.” Marina frowns. 

“Oh like you didn’t try to strangle me before?!” 

“That was out of self defense!”

“I wasn’t even attacking you! I was stating facts!”

As the two continue their banter, the singer sighs and leans back in her chair. Her thoughts of the previous day begin to drift into her head, so she grabs her own drink, vodka mixed with another hard liquor, and downs the rest of it in one go. She makes a face, because who actually likes the taste of alcohol, and feels it burn her throat.

It takes a moment, but finally it hits her, and all her worries just float away. 

Her chest warms. It makes her feel more confident, and Pearl throws herself into the conversations. They continue to chat for a couple of hours, and time just seems to speed by. 

“Yo, I think it's time for us to head back to your place Eight.” Three announces. “I would like to put on the Princess Bride, and start playing Monopoly.” 

“Wait, wait, wait-” Pearl stands, and the world tilts, but she grabs the seat and rights herself. “The Princess Bride?” 

“Fuck yeah!” Three grins. “That movie is so good. Guilty pleasure. Right behind the movie about the spies.” 

There were so many movies about spies, but Pearl doesn’t care to ask which one. 

“Shit, you have good taste.” Pearl answers with a nods. They bump fists. 

“Alright! Let me settle my tab first.” Eight says, interrupting the conversation, or argument, she and Marina were still having. “Oh Marieee!”

“Hm? Oh Eighttt!” Marie sings back. She has a nice singing voice, Pearl thinks. “I’ll be there in a second.” 

Eight laughs. “Ah I love her, she’s so funny.”

“How often do you go here anyways.” Pearl asks. She hasn’t crossed paths with her ever, which surprises her. 

“I come once a week. After lab.” Eight shrugs. “Keeps me sane. Plus Callie gives me all the good stuff.” 

“Wow once a week?” Four is slumped over the bar with her eyes closed. There were three empty shot glasses around her. Were those always there? “I can’t imagine. I wish. I only come here once every two weeks and even that’s a strain on my schedule.”

“You’re doing like, two majors though.” Three points out. “And a minor, your class load is crazy.”

“Yeah.” Four smushs her face into the bar. “Beehf I lke fvrtythifg-“

“Can't hear you.” Three deadpans. Four gives up with a visible sigh.

“I mean,” Marina bites her lip as everyone looks at her, but continues. “it’s nice here but why would you guys want to spend all that time in a bar?”

“For the gossip.” Eight says. “Marina we’ve been over this!” 

Four shrugs. “For the drinks, Marie can whip up a hell of a slugger.” 

Pearl sneaks a glance at said bartender, but Maire had her back turned to them, facing the register. 

“Yeah, this place is hella fresh. I like the vibes. Plus the alcohol, like Four said.” Three agrees. She grabs her black coat resting on the chair. Slapping a card on the table she says, “Thanks for dealing with us Marie.”

The bartender turns, slides the other patron’s card back before taking Three’s. “Eh,” Marie shrugs. “Just a part of my job.” 

A quick swipe, sign, and soon it's Pearl’s turn to pay. Instead she just gives her a lopsided smile. Was the world always kinda bright? Maybe she drank more than she thought. “Just put mine and Marina’s drinks on my tab please. I’ll get them later.”

“Okidoki.” The bartender nods. She leans in. “Stay safe out there. I don’t want you getting in trouble.”

“I won’t,” Pearl waves off her concern. She feels her mouth starting to run. “Pssh, I got… uh.” She trails off, mind becoming a little fuzzy, but her eyes lock onto the red hoodie. “I got Marina to watch me right?” 

Marina looks up from her phone. “What?”

They look like those crystal clear pools at fresh water springs. 

Pearl blinks before repeating her question. “You’ll... look out for me?” Pearl asks. “I mean, since I’m a little drunk, eheh.” She throws in.

There’s a second before Marina answers and Pearl holds her breath. “Of course.” She gives her a thumbs up. 

“Seeee?” Pearl drawls, turning back to Marie.

The bartender looks between her and Marina, then back at her, and sighs. “Call me if you need anything.” 

“Thanks.” The singer says, and she waves at her. 

It’s around nine as the gaggle of students (featuring Pearl and Three) walk to Eight’s apartment. The air feels so much cooler on her skin than the hot bar. 

Pearl hums, enjoying the sensation. She lingers towards the back of the group, and watches the other’s chatter about which was better, Ninjas or Pirates. 

She watches Marina in particular, who stays quiet, but when she chimes in it’s sudden and passionate. Her arguments are incredibly thought out and logical, much to Pearl’s surprise. 

Marina’s interesting. Pearl find’s she wants to know more. 

Pearl is still staring as the other woman catches her eye when she glances back. Turning her head, she meets her gaze full on with a smirk. 

Pearl blinks, feeling heat in her cheeks at being caught, but smiles back.

The grad student falls back in step with her. The other three are oblivious to it. “You okay?” Marina asks. 

“Yeah,” Pearl says. “Never better.”

“Good,” She smiles, and her eyes close for a moment. It’s so bright that Pearl is blinded temporarily. “I was afraid you were too butthurt to talk to me after I beat you twice.”

“Hey!” Pearl stomps her foot, then continues to stomp as they continue forward. “I would’ve beaten you! Next time!”

“Sure.” Marina answers, and there’s a burning sensation in Pearl’s gut that makes her want to fight. 

Or maybe something else, but fighting is the first thing that comes to mind. 

She doesn't act on it though, because the others stop in front of a large brick building. 

“Okay, warning, my place is like, on the fifth floor.” Eight says as she gets out her key card. “There’s an elevator, but it’s a fifty-fifty chance it’s operating right now.”

“Well,” Three sighs. “Guess this is my exercise for the day.”

“Same.” Pearl cranes her neck to see if she can scout out how many stairs there are. 

“Anyone wanna race?” Four starts jumping in place. She looks like a fool. 

“No.” Three puts a hand on the other woman's shoulder. “No racing.”

“Awww,” Four crosses her arms. “But why?”

“Do you think any of us are athletic enough besides you?” Three asks.

The door beeps and unlocks. Eight opens the door. “Marina goes to the gym. She also was in some serious military boot camp back in the day.”

“See!” Four rushes over to Marina who jumps when she grabs on to both of her hands. “Please race with me! Please!!” 

“Uh,” Marina blinks, and looks helplessly lost. “I-If you want?” 

“Yes!” Four shouts. “Okay, once we’re at the bottom of the steps we start.”

“Marina you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Three says as she glares at Four. 

The dark hair woman rolls her shoulders and zips up her hoodie. 

“It’ll be fine.” Marina taps the toes of her shoes onto the floor. 

They shuffle into the lobby. As predicted, the elevator is indeed tapped off for repairs. Figures. 

To the right, Four and Marina already stand at the base of the stairs. 

“You ready?” Four asks. She’s bouncing like she was born for this. 

“Don’t expect too much.” Marina replies. “I haven’t warmed up like I usually do.”

“No hard feelings.” Four says then looks at Three. “Can you say ready, set, go?”

“Ugh...” Three grumbles then just crosses her arms. “Okay.”

“Ready.”

Marina looks at the stairs like she’s analyzing them. 

Four gets in a starting position, whatever that means. 

“Set.”

Pearl watches while both of them glance at each other. Four sticks out her tongue, making Marina stick out hers in return. 

“Go!”

And they're off! Marina’s long legs help her hurdle the first three steps. Four is already behind but manages to keep a steady pace. 

They disappear quickly. 

“Well,” Eight’s looking up. “I wonder who will win."

“Marina.” Pearl says.

“Four.” Three says at the same. 

They glance at each other. Eight just giggles. 

“Let’s head up before they end up going to the wrong apartment.”

  
  


————

  
  


Pearl practically melts into a beanbag chair that was laid on the ground. It’s a deep blue and there are some ripped seams, but it feels like a blessing to sit. “God damn that was terrible.”

“No kidding.” Three huffed wiping her forehead with a paper towel. “Eight you do that every day?”

“Sometimes.” Eight admits. “Sometimes I just rewire the elevator myself because I can.”

“You…” Pearl squints at her then lets out a bass-y groan from the gut. Damn genius college kids. 

“Come on guys.” Four’s sitting on the floor, legs criss cross. She’s not even sweating. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Yeah,” Marina nods, like she didn’t just win the stairs competition. “I think it was nice, actually.”

“We could switch apartments.” Eight offers. 

Marina shakes her head. “No.”

“But you just said-“ 

“No.”

Pearl closes her eyes and feels all the little beads move as she shifts onto her tummy. She loves bean bags. There is a giant one at her family home she used to use as a bed when she was little. Maybe she should have it sent to her apartment. She probably could still fit on it, right?

“-Movie and then we can start like, a game or something.” Oops, she zoned out for a second. 

“Monopoly.” Three presses. 

“That game goes on for ever!” Eight argues. “And there are always sore losers. Maybe something quicker. ”

“I wouldn't be a sore loser.” Three mutters, but backs off. 

There's a thump and someone sits next to her and she cracks an eye open. It’s Marina. Her face still a little flushed from running as she looks at her, “Hey.”

“Ayo.” Pearl opens both of her eyes. “You good?”

“Yeah.” Marina takes off her headphones and sets them on the metal table next to her. “This whole… party thing has been nice. I’m a little shocked there aren’t more people though.”

“Two people couldn’t come!” Eight butts in as she lands on another bean bag. Three stalks off to the other side of the room. “Josh and Tessa. I don’t think you’ve ever met them, but they’re really cool and nice!” 

Marina doesn’t look convinced as she nods. “Well, in any case I still am enjoying this. For once.”

“You enjoyed stuff yesterday too!” The redhead smiles wide. “Aw Marina you’re finally coming out of your shell! I’m so proud of you!”

The dark haired girl just frowns at Eight. “I still would rather watch Gilmore Girls… I’m all peopled out.”

“Valid.” Eight says with a shrug then sits up. “Hey what’s taking so long?” 

“Uhhh.” Three’s voice sounds like something’s wrong. “Give me a minute.”

“It’s just one button!”

“There are like five buttons here!”

“I’ll be right back.” Eight sighs as she starts rapidly talking back to Three. 

Pearl glances at Marina. She just gives her a wavering smile. 

“Somethin’ wrong?” Pearl asks. There’s something in Marina’s eyes like she’s confused. 

Marina shakes her head. “No, just… can I ask you a question?”

The surprise must have shown on Pearl’s face, because the other woman begins to back track. “Of course, I don't want to pry I just- I’m-“

“No, you’re fine! What’s your question?” Pearl interrupts. 

“Did your-“ Marina bites her lip. She shakes her head. “Do you know Marie?” 

Pearl sighs, “Yeah. I know her. She’s been helping me out the past few weeks.”

“I thought so.” The dark haired girl nods. “She kept looking at you.” 

“Did she?” 

“Yes.” Marina tilts her head. “I asked her if she knew you, but she just smirked and gave me a roundabout answer.”

“Oh.” Pearl looks down. “Yeah, sounds like her.”

She can feel Marina’s eyes as she begins playing with the gears on her necklace. 

“Are you-“

“Ah ha!” They look over to see a beam of light. Eight grins. “Loose wire! Princess Bride here we come!”

“How are we supposed to see the game board if we turn off the lights?” Four asks. 

“Thought of that.” Eight flips off the overhead lights and shimmies behind a chair. “Here we go!” She presses a button. 

The room is surrounded in a dull glow. They remind Pearl of fireflies, the ones she used to catch during her family trips into the mountains. It’s pretty, and gives just enough light to see each other's face and the floor in front of them. 

There are some stuck on the ceiling too, those are clustered in a way to look like a starry night. 

“How did I not notice these before?” Three asks as she blinks at the lights. 

“I made sure they were hidden.” Eight says. “Don’t want my landlord becoming too angry, eheh.”

Marina stands and touches the nearest wall. “How long did this take you? Looks like LED’s.”

“About six hours.” Eight says. “Rigging everything then drilling into the wall for the on switch was a hassle but you know, worth it.”

“Six hours…” Pearl murmurs. It took her six hours to figure out what to do let alone set up lighting like this. 

“Amazing.” Marina whispers. She looks starstruck. 

There's a whirring sound as light turns on and Pearl hears the pop of the disk box. “One Princess Bride coming up.” Three exclaims. 

The projector spits out the picture, a bit muted in color from the lens being dirty, but captures the idea all the same. 

The sound booms through the room and everyone jumps as Eight practically leaps over the table back to where the projector is to turn it down. 

“Ow.” Pearl winces. 

“Sorry!” Eight exclaims.

“Shit, my ears.” Three hisses. There’s a slapping sound and then she says “Shit, my arm!”

“Punishment fits the crime.” 

“I’m not doing anything punishable!” Three cries.

Pearl watches as the picture begins flipping through the preset commercials. She didn’t know half of these movies. The only one she probably watched was the space one with Spock. 

“Oh!” Marina’s back next to her. “I loved Lord of the Rings!” 

“Pff.” Pearl says. “Star Trek was way better.” She's never seen Lord of the Rings, but space is cooler than magical trees.

Marina looks at her and frowns. “What does that have to do with Lord of the Rings? They’re two different genres.”

“Sci-fi over fantasy any day.” Pearl leans back. “Sorry I don’t make the rules.”

Marina’s still frowning. “Fantasy is so much better! You have cool elves and dragons and-“ 

“Okay, I’m putting a stop to this right now.” Eight says as she plops back onto the other bean bag. “-because Horror is clearly the winner.”

“What?!” Marina’s face twisted into something resembling anger and disgust. 

Pearl hums, “Now you’re talking. What about sci-fi horror?” 

“You mean like Alien?” Eight looks away, clearly deep in though. “Yeah I can get behind that.”

“But action…” Four says weakly. 

“Horror has action.” The redhead says with a nod. 

“Anything can have action.” Marina points out. 

“Can we pick a board game already?” The green haired woman plops down onto the carpet. 

“Fine, fine.” Eight shakes her head. “What game then?”

“Monopoly.” Three says. 

“No.” Four rolls her eyes. “Didn’t Eight already say no?”

“Yeah but that was like, twenty minutes ago.” 

“No Monopoly.” Eight reaffirms with a pointed look. 

Marina shakes her head. “So, wait, what are we discussing now?”

“Games.” Three sighs. “Crappy games that aren’t Monopoly.”

“You got Uno?” Pearl asks. 

Eight squints then nods. “I do indeed, anyone oppose?”

“Uno’s solid.” Four rubs her chin. “Better than the hell game.”

Three frowns. “It isn’t a hell game.” She huffs but shrugs. “Fine, we can play Uno.”

“Marina?” Eight asks. 

The dark hair woman blinks at them, eyes tearing away from the movie screen. “Yeah, Uno’s fine.”

“Good.” Pearl leans forward. She grins. “I’m ready to win.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Splatoon ideas keep pouring from my head. Tfw you have to do other things, but obsession gets you. 9,000 words later here we are. 
> 
> Find me on twitter @SquidRyder/@homunerd if you wanna chat!
> 
> Stay safe, stay fresh.
> 
> 8/29 Edited some spelling/grammar


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after.

The first thing Marina thinks of when she wakes up is _I did not drink enough water._

Her body is stiff in all the wrong places from laying on the beanbag chair and when she gets up, her muscles protest. Rubbing her eyes, she heads to the bathroom. 

Water pours from the tap as she splashes her face. It wakes her up a little more, just twenty percent, because the other eighty percent of her body is crying for more sleep. 

She turns off the faucet. Drying off her face she pauses as she blinks. A large yellow lump is peeking out of the bathtub, wait, were those snores?

Marina turns. Yep, that’s Four… in the bathtub. She has a blanket over her. The tub looks oddly comfortable, but the thought of it being potentially dirty would deter Marina from even thinking about it. Hair was gross. Wet hair was grosser. Not that Eight didn’t clean or sanitize anything but the thought was still there. 

Trudging back, she heads to the kitchen. She opens the fridge, and grabs the nearest liquid. Orange juice, she realizes, and has to look closer at the label. 

Eight thankfully has good taste because it’s no pulp, much to Marina’s relief, and pours a hardy glass for herself. 

Delicious. 

There’s someone muttering behind her so she sneaks a glance over her shoulder. 

Three has her head between her knees on the couch. She’s clutching it like it’s about to split open. 

Marina decides not to break the silence and simply pours another glass of O.J before setting it on the table in front of the other woman. 

Three looks up, severely disheveled, before thanking Marina with her eyes as she takes the glass and chugs half of it. She chokes on a gulp and almost spits it out, but manages to swallow hard before wheezing and coughing.

Marina can’t help but feel bad, and awkwardly sits next to her. She lightly pats Three’s back as she hacks up a lung. 

“T-Thanks.” Three clears her throat. Her voice is soft, as if trying not to break the atmosphere. “Sorry, went down the wrong pipe.” 

Marina gives a small nod. She sips her own drink, feeling better than before. Not by much, but a little can go a long way. Right?

“Hangovers are the worst.” Three grunts as she rubs her head. “This one isn’t terrible though. At least I can remember what happened.”

The dark haired woman shrugs. “I don’t know, it still feels pretty bad.” Her arms feel weighed down by lead. 

Three glances at her. “...True.” 

They sit, listening to the light snores of Pearl and more obnoxious ones from Eight. Both of them are draped over the bean bags in front of them. Pearl is in a fetal position, snuggled into a blanket, while Eight is splayed out, starfish style. Her blanket is across the floor. 

Marina sips her orange juice and licks her lips. Last night was fun, though a little stressful. Uno was intense. Three had won the first round, prompting at least four other matches to happen after because Pearl was a sore loser. 

Okay, maybe Marina was a sore loser too, but she didn’t say anything so it doesn’t count. 

Afterwards, they put in another movie. This time it was a cheesy romance, and Four felt obligated to comment on everything which provoked _everyone_ to chime in their opinion. Somewhere along the way Eight pulled out a box of Sangria’s out from nowhere and everyone went to town. 

It was probably after the second drink where Marina’s memory begins to get a bit hazy. Missing a few words here, a few sentences there. She doesn't feel a lingering sense of dread, though, so she couldn’t have said anything terrible. 

She hopes, at least, she didn’t say anything bad. Nothing too opinionated. If it was anywhere else she would have felt incredible anxiety, but these people feel trustworthy. Maybe even friends? 

Eight was obviously her friend. But the others...

Loud footsteps break her train of thought. “Oh? Everyone awake?” Four asks in a very loud voice. Too loud for a day after partying. 

Three hisses. “No, how are you so chipper?”

“Sheer willpower.” Four says and opens the fridge. She takes out a milk carton. Gross. “Real answer, I drank enough water that I needed to go to the bathroom four times more than any of you.”

“Great for you.” Three says dryly. “I’ll give you a gold sticker when we get back home.”

“Really?” Four grabs the bean bag that Marina was using to sleep on and slides it closer. She sits on it. “Can I get a kiddy prize too?”

“No.” Three pinches the bridge of her nose. “Please stop talking before I throw up all over you.”

“That sucks.” Four leans back in the bean bag. “I like talking.”

“I know.” The green haired woman sounds so tired. “God, do I know.”

“Can you guys be quiet?” Eight grumbles into her bean bag. “Trying to sleep until at least ten.” 

“I have to leave soon anyways.” Four takes a gulp of her milk. “So much homework, so little time.”

“Tragic.” Three says.

“I understand.” Marina frowns as she remembers her own homework that she needs to do. Schematics for a design. “What are you studying in again?”

“Working towards a degree in Sports Science and Nutrition.” Four takes another sip of her milk. “Minor in Psychology.” 

Watching Four, Marina can’t help but feel disgusted. Plain milk was gross. It tasted nasty. It was either too watery or too thick depending on the percentage. Marina would rather take pulpy orange juice over milk any day. At least she would know what she was getting into. 

“Ah.” She says, remembering she should respond. “Sounds complex.” 

Four shrugs. 

“I don’t know how you do it.” Three mumbles over her drink. “One science class killed me in highschool, let alone, like, seven in college.” 

“I like being active, and learning is fun.” Four shrugs. “It’ll be nice to help others for once instead of them helping me all the time.”

“Mm, if you say so.” 

Four rolls her eyes. “I do.”

Marina watches as the last of the milk is drained. 

Four sighs in content and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “What time is it?” 

“Time for you-“ Three starts but is interrupted by Marina.

“Eight thirty on the dot.” 

“-to get a watch.” Three ends. She glares at Marina who ignores her. 

“Thank you, Marina.” Four smiles at her as she also very blatantly ignores Three before she stands. “Maybe I should jog back. Would wake me up.”

“Do whatever you would like.” Three says as she closes her eyes and leans back. “Just do it away from me.”

“I literally live with you.” Four points out. “Maybe you could come join me instead of teasing me about it all the time.”

Three doesn’t answer. She has an arm slung over her face. 

Four turns to Marina. “Nice meeting you, I bet we’ll see each other again some time!” 

“It was nice to meet you as well.” Marina says and gives a smile. “Eight will probably drag us all together again at one point.”

Four smiles back and nods. “Probably! Would be fun! Okay gotta go, Three text me when you’re heading back.”

Three grunts in response. 

A quick pat down, double checking she has everything, Four puts her cup in the sink and soon is out the door.

Marina lets out a sigh. Maybe she should go back to bed. Just this once. 

But, then again, she has to “seize the day”. There was so much she could be doing, like checking over her drafts, writing her essays, typing up emails, waiting for replies, getting yelled at-

“You okay?” Three’s voice made her jump. She turns her head. Green eyes stare at her. “You’re shaking.”

“Y-Yeah.” Marina says looking away. Her hands are trembling so she clasps them together. “Sorry.”

Three goes silent again. Marina sighs. Maybe she was over thinking… but she still has to organize the next design committee meeting, and that powerpoint for Fight History class is still half finished, but that shouldn’t take too long. Doctor Cuddlefish wanted her thesis in two weeks. Maybe the design issue-

“It’s okay to not do anything, you know.”

Marina blinks and turns to see Three staring at her again through half lids. “What?”

“Relaxing is healthy.” Three says. “Doing nothing helps regenerate creativity.” She says it like it’s the easiest thing in the world.

The other woman looks away for a second time. Her nails are digging into her palms. “Did Eight say something?” She whispers. 

“Maybe.” The couch cushion moves as Three stretches. “She didn’t say much though. Just my observations. You were having fun yesterday, though. The smile you had on was better than the frown you have on now.”

She was frowning? Marina raised a hand to her lips. 

“I’mma head to the bathroom, but feel free to take the couch.” Three says as she lifts herself up with a huff. There’s a crack from somewhere and she winces. “God, why do I feel old.” 

Marina just watches as she hobbles into the bathroom. 

The couch is pretty comfortable, and Marina feels so tired. She grabs the plush blanket that Three was using and lays down. It’s soft, and still warm. 

Maybe… she’ll just…

The sound of boots on the ground reminds Marina she’s not alone. Dust flies up into her eyes, and she tries to blink away the grit and dirt as she struggles up the ladder to see the welcome party. When she finally gets to the top, Marina watches as the newcomers trudge in. They’re weighted down with heavy backpacks and new shoes that are too tight and too clean to be anything other than new recruits. Newbies. 

The sun was hot, hotter than it usually was. She’s sweating in her uniform. She hates being here. She hates the stiff smell of starch. Her father’s here, though, so she has to be present. 

“Marina.” She turns and suddenly she’s in base. Someone takes her arm and pulls her into a room. Odd and end bits of scrap metal are shoved into her hands. “Fix it.” They say and she hears the door close. If sounds like her father, but he would never be on the ground floor. 

She can’t though. She doesn’t even know what it is. 

The pieces slip through her fingers like sand. It makes her sweat. She’s going to get scolded by the General again. 

She blinks and she’s in the field. Basic combat training. Two people are after her, a game of manhunt where the loser who gets caught and doesn’t survive the fight is put on bathroom duty for two weeks. She’s stationed behind one of the large shipping containers that hold food. She holds her breath, trying to not tip the others off where she is. 

“Marina?” Someone’s shaking her. Marina tenses, crap, she was found. Fight or flight, and so she chooses to fight. She grabs their shirt and an arm and pulls. Locking them into a headlock. They yelp. Wait. That didn’t sound like-

“D-Damn Marina.” Pearl’s voice echoes in her head. She shoots open her eyes to see the smaller woman’s face inches from hers. “Strong grip you go there.”

Marina blushes and lets go. “S-Sorry!”

“Naw, it’s cool.” Pearl straightens her shirt and leans back. Her hair is disheveled on one side from where she was sleeping. “I, uh, maybe shouldn’t have tried to wake you, but it looked like you were having a really bad nightmare.”

“Oh,” Marina sits up and rubs her eyes. The said nightmare is still hot on her skin but fading away. What was it about? “...What time is it?”

“Almost noon.” Pearl rubs her neck where Marina grabbed her. “Eight said to keep watch on you. She and Three went out to get breakfast supplies.”

“Ah.” Marina yawns. She swings her legs off the couch, rubbing her neck she looks at Pearl. “Is your neck okay? S-Sorry for the handling.”

“I’m tellin’ you, it’s fine.” Pearl takes the spot where Marina’s legs just were. “Are you okay? You were mumbling a lot.”

Marina swallows hard and looks down at her hands. They’re shaking again. This is what she gets for taking a nap. She racks her brain, but the dream is long gone. “I can’t remember.”

“Hmm.” Pearl breathes out. “Maybe it’s better that way.”

Marina doesn’t say anything and tries to steady her own breath. 

“Maybe.” She finally says. She licks her lips, feeling dry. 

Pearl glances at her then shrugs. “That’s what my Pa always says. He’s only right like fifty percent of the time though.”

Marina’s father is somewhere far away from her and she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

“Wanna drink?” Pearl asks. “I’d offer food, but Eight has bare minimum here.”

“Yes,” Marina says. “Thank you.”

Pearl nods and heads to the kitchen.

Marina breathes another sigh through her nose. She feels even more groggy than before. Naps were now her enemy. On top of that, she lost four hours which could’ve been used to getting home and finishing her projects. 

She pinches the bridge of her nose and groans. 

“Here.” Something cold hits her hand and she jumps, looking up. Pearl shakes the glass. It’s water with some ice. 

Marina takes it. “Thank you.”

“No problemo.” Pearl plops back onto the couch again. 

Marina sips the water. It’s cold and refreshing. The ice cubes clink and she watches the swirl around. 

“You okay?” Pearl asks. “You looked like you had a headache. Hangover gettin’ to ya?” 

Marina takes a deep breath. “I’m fine. I think my hangover is subsiding, thankfully. I feel a little stressed. There is a lot of stuff to do and not a lot of time.” 

“Oh.” Pearl tilts her head. “Yeah that sucks. I mean, one step at a time, right?” 

The grad student takes another sip of her water. “I guess. It’s just that-” She pauses. “I think I’m not being strict enough with myself. I have many projects that are piling up and I just need more time that I don’t have.” 

Marina frowns as she tries to think of what led her to be _behind_. Maybe it was when she procrastinated? Thinking about it, she tended to get sucked into television series easily. It felt like a snowball effect, where one show led in into the next. At the same time, though, she only allowed herself to watch while doing homework on the weekends. In any case, it was definitely something to examine when she had the time. 

The singer hums. “I’d say I understand, but I think I have the opposite issue you’re havin’.” 

Right, with the band. 

“I wish.” Marina mutters before falling silent. She feels a little frazzled. 

Pearl grunts as she pulls her feet up and tucks them underneath her. “Eh, it’s not all fun and games. I’d rather be doing somethin’ productive. Honestly, as long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing, whatever you get done is progress right?” 

“I don’t even feel productive, though.” Marina admits. “It just feels like work.” Numbers, letters, diagrams. Work. Do this, do that. Work overtime. 

Pearl rubs her chin. Her eyebrows furrow slightly. “Maybe it’s time for a change of pace.” She ends up saying with a shrug. 

Marina frowns. “Change of pace?” 

“Find somethin’ new.” She says. “I dunno, take up a new hobby or do something adventurous.” 

“I’ve tried doing something adventurous when I went to that club.” Marina rolls her eyes. “I don’t know how well that turned out.” 

“You met me, didn’t ya?” Pearl points out. She smirks. “I’m amazing.” 

“But I still feel stressed.” Marina answers. “While the music was fresh, it felt temporary.” Marina didn’t say it out loud but Pearl is amazing. She’s so cool, like she could take on the world and not even bat an eye. 

Marina wishes she could be that cool.

“Uh, do less?” The singer scratches the back of her head. “I don't know what you have on your plate, but-”

“Do… less?” Marina asks. Was it really that easy? 

“Ya?” Pearl blinks at her. “I mean, saying no won’t kill you.”

“Saying no...” The grad student goes to play with her headphones only to remember she took them off last night. They were still on the table. She lets her hand drop.

“Like, I say no all the time, and look where I am… okay maybe not the best but it’s still a good habit.” Pearl shrugs. 

Marina glances at her just as she starts fiddling with her necklace. She squints, trying to make out what they were. Were those- “Gears?” 

“Huh?” Light brown eyes look at her quizzically. 

Marina shakes her head. “Ah, sorry!I just...I couldn’t help but look at your necklace.”

“Oh,” Pearl blinks and looks down at her hands.“Yeah.”

“It looks pretty cool.” Marina says. 

“Eh.” Pearl’s mouth tugs into something less than happy. “My Papa got it for me when my leg wouldn’t stop bouncing. Says I have too much energy for formal events.”

“Formal events?” The grad student raises an eyebrow. 

Pearl sighs like the world rested on her shoulders. “Stuffy collar ones. For his business.”

“Yikes, and you have to go?”

The singer shakes her hand in a “so-so” manner. “Only sometimes. Whenever he wants to show he’s a ‘family man’ he brings me along. Sucks ass. Just a bunch of liars and losers if you ask me.”

“Family man...” Marina thinks to her own father and doesn’t feel like thinking anymore. “They look to be very well made.”

“Yeah they feel super nice to turn.” She reaches behind her neck and unclaps the necklace. “Here wanna look closer?”

“Oh! But, if you were still using it I don’t-“

Pearl gestures to it. “Come on, you got a gleam in your eyes. You know you want to.”

After a defeated sigh, the necklace slips into Marina’s hand. She brings it closer to her face and slowly thumbs the gadget, making the small gears turn. They were configured in a heart shape, tinted rose gold with a gold backplate. 

For how well all the little pieces fit, it almost felt as though they were custom made. 

She flips it over. The backing was inlaid with some sort of shell. The writing, _To H_ , is engraved on its back. 

To H

Marina tries to think of what the H stood for but drew up a blank. Instead, she looks at Pearl, who’s staring off to the side. Marina trails her eyes to what Pearl is looking at and finds herself staring at one of Eight’s plants.

“Yes, it’s a Venus fly trap.” She says while turning gears a few more times for kicks. 

Pearl jumps, before rubbing her neck sheepishly. “I’ve never seen one up close before.”

“Yeah neither have I until Eight practically shoved it in my face one day after class.” She holds out the necklace. “Do you happen to know where this was made?”

Pearl takes it and clips it back around her neck. “Overseas somewhere. Probably ordered from a place one of his friends owns.” 

“Hm.” Marina stands and stretches. Running a hand through her hair she blinks, still feeling exhausted. “Too bad, I was thinking of getting one.” 

“If you ever wanna play with it just ask me.” Pearl’s mouth twitches back into a half smile. “It’s fun.”

“Yeah.” Marina breathes in and slowly lets it out. Her back feels tense, so she rolls her shoulders. “I should get going, the day doesn’t start itself.”

Pearl snorts. “Eight said you would say that, and she also said to me you can't leave until she gets food for you.”

Ugh, Eight. “I’m an adult, I can leave when I want.” 

At this, Pearl rolls her eyes. “She also said she was getting waffle mix for the waffle iron.”

“Oh!” The grad student pauses in her search to find her keys and bag. She turns back, eyeing Pearl. “Waffles?”

“And strawberries, and whipped cream.” Pearl ticks off the list looking vaguely uninterested. How could she not have said anything sooner? “And some other stuff I can't remember.”

“Chocolate sauce?” Marina asks. 

“Oh yeah, that.” The singer nods. “The whole works.”

Marina tilts her head and begins making a mental list. 

Pros of staying: 

Waffles

Hanging out with friends

Strawberries

Chocolate

Watching Eight cook and somehow burn water

Getting to know Pearl more…?

Cons of staying:

No homework gets done 

Cramming

Uhhhhh

Marina finds herself staring at the wall. Her head is fizzling out, trying to ignore the deadlines of her work like it wants her to stay. 

Pearl sighs loudly breaking her concentration. “Come on, she’s gonna be back any minute. Homework is a waste of time anyways.”

“Excuse me-“ Marina says, feeling offended. 

“You’re excused.” Pearl answers quickly, and a bit too slyly for her tastes. 

“Are you- ugh.” Marina runs a hand through her hair again and feels even more offended like it’s an attack. “Anyways- what I was saying. I have stuff to do, it’ll take me at least twenty minutes to walk home, if I’m lucky. Might as well start moving now.”

“I will literally give you money for a cab.” Pearl deadpans. She looks like she means it. 

Marina frowns. “But-“

“God Eight was right.” Pearl snorts again. Right in her face! “You really are addicted to work.” 

“I’m not addicted.” She feels her face warm. “It’s normal to want to get work done early. Its so you don’t have to worry about it later.”

“I’ve never had that feeling.”

“Well,” Marina says, gesturing to the other woman. “You’re not normal.” She pauses, realizing what she just said, and bites her lip. “Ah-” 

Pearl raises an eyebrow. “What does that mean?” 

Marina can’t tell if the other woman took offense or not. Something in Pearl’s eyes doesn’t read like the rest of her body. The air changes, slightly. Was it getting stuffy? “You’re… You’re different.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Pearl shifts and sits up. “To be different?” Her question is so earnest, so honest. It hits Marina in such a way that the grad student can’t think up an answer. 

She is saved by Eight bursting in, grocery bags in hand. Three trails behind her with twice as many. She’s huffing. “And we’re back!” 

“Ey, bout time.” Pearl grins and the still air vanishes with it.

Marina remembers to breathe. It feels as though Pearl has the effect to change a room’s mood in an instant. 

“Rina was just tryin’ to leave!” The singer jumps off the couch. “I, however, was able to persuade her to stay.”

“Oh, my hero!” Eight says clasping her hands. She swoons, bumping into Three who shoves her off. “Thank you for taming the beast, it must’ve taken so much effort.” 

Pearl, who is very obviously trying not to start laughing, bows low. “You are welcome fair queen!”

Marina sputters at the display in front of her, feeling slightly overwhelmed. “No, you didn't, I was just about to leave. Wait, did you just call me-“

“Marina, I love you, but just this once, eat a waffle with us.” Eight slides between her and Pearl. She has a pout and looks vaguely like the pleading emoji she uses so often. “You always jump at the chance to leave! You’ll be fine staying for another few minute!” 

Marina closes her eyes, feeling her resolve crack, before sighing. “Okay, fine. I’ll stay. But only if I get first dibs on chocolate sauce and strawberries.”

Eight sighs, practically swaying as she groans. “Fine, I _guess_ , just don’t take all of them and don't use the whole chocolate sauce container.”

“No guarantees.” Marina says as she rushes to help unpack. 

“Unbelievable.” Eight whispers, shaking her head. 

———

The waffles are devoured at record speed. Eight manages to not set off the fire alarm, although at one point the room smelled suspiciously smokey. 

Three is surprisingly incredible at making dishes look gourmet. Something about the way she’s platted the waffles and the strawberry drip looked divine. Marina felt the urge to take a picture and post it on SplatNet just so Three could get some recognition. 

Eight apparently had the same idea, and as soon as Three placed her plate in front of the redhead, she took about a half a dozen pictures before she dug in. 

Now they all sit around the table, feeling filled and happy. Marina’s head feels clearer, and her mood didn’t feel tainted with anxiety. 

“I’m stuffed.” Eight sighs, very content as she pats her stomach. 

Marina shoves another piece of soft, buttery waffle into her mouth and chews. The savory center is flavored by the strawberries, ugh, worth it. 

Pearl nods, slouching against her chair. “Same- though I feel like I just got a shot loaded with sugar into my mouth. Almost like a mega pixy stick but with more substance.”

Marina sighs, also in content. “I don’t know, I think it’s just the right amount of sugar.”

“I agree with Pearl on this one.” Three says as she finishes off a glass of water. “Feels like a pixy stick.” 

“Yeah, your sweet tooth is talking for you.” Eight gives her a look. 

“Mm.” Marina replies with a shrug. “No cavities yet so I must be doing something okay.”

“Ugh, cavities suck. Drills suck. I hate the dentist.” Three mutters. She pokes at her almost empty plate. 

Eight nudges her. “Oh yeah, didn’t you have braces when you were little?”

“You mean all throughout middle school _and_ high school.” Three shutters. “A tooth got infected my senior year and I was out of school for two weeks because the pain was so bad.”

Eight winces. “Ah, that's right.” 

“Did you look like a nerd?” Pearl asks. 

Three rolls her eyes. “Everyone who has braces looks like a nerd.”

“Least your teeth are straight?” Marina says. 

“Sure, they’re straight alright.” She takes a deep breath and puts down her fork. She sighs. “I have to wear a retainer for who knows how long though. The price we pay to get hired.”

“Wow, really?” Pearl’s leaning on the table with her head in her hand. “I thought they’d fix that for good, you know, with the braces.”

Three pinches her nose. “You’d think! But no! I’m pretty lax about body maintenance, but god damn the price on correcting everything was through the roof. I am not about to pay for more work. A bunch of B.S. if you’d ask me.”

Eight stares at Three, then realization seems to strike her as her eyes widen. “That’s why you smell like something stale all the time! I was trying to figure it out for weeks!” 

The green haired woman ignores her. “Braces suck.” She says a little louder. 

Marina knows where this is going. All she can think is that she’s glad she’s not on the receiving end. 

“Three, this is great!” Eight is practically vibrating in her seat. “I have an idea that can help you!” 

“Oh no.” Three whispers and closes her eyes. 

Marina just continues to watch everything unfold. Stepping in now would spell her own doom.

“I’ll set you up with a body maintenance routine! We should start with basic skin care so you can feel clean and fresh.”

“I’m good, thanks.” Three deadpans. 

“Come _on_ , just a cleanser and a moisturizer. It’s super simple!”

“What's wrong with a shower with a good bar of soap?” Three asks. It sounded more like a whine. “What the fuck is a cleanser? Like, just more products they wanna sell you!”

“Cleansers are actually quite nice.” Marina says softly. She’s afraid of getting into the oncoming argument. 

Eight beams at her. “Thank you, Marina. See listen to her. She’s smart. She knows things. She gets four-ohs in every class. And look! On top of that her skin is super soft.” The redhead makes grabby hands at Marina who scooches just out of her reach. 

Marina sputters. “I wouldn’t say I know things…”

“I’d like to know.” Pearl chimed in.“What makes your skin glow like that?” 

“Uh,” The grad student looks at her then looks at Eight who raises her eyebrows. She pushes back her hair and thinks. What was her routine? She visualises what her normal self care routine is like. “I shower? Sometimes if I don’t shower every I use a cleanser at night, but now that I think about it I, uh, tend to forget.”

“That's it?” Eight stares at her. “No toner? No moisturizer?”

“No...?” 

Eight’s stare turns into a glare. “What? Really?”

“I mean, I believe it's important! I just… forget.” Marina looks back down at what's left of her waffle. “I’m busy.”

The redhead heaves a heavy sigh. “Fine, I’ll let you slide, but Three-“ She snaps her gaze to the other woman who flinches. “You have no excuse.”

“You’re not my mom.” Three rolls her eyes and sits up straight. “You can’t make me do anything.”

“I can’t make you do anything.” Eight agrees. “But I can give you an incentive.” 

Three narrows her eyes. “What’s the incentive?”

Marina glances at Pearl. Originally she had been watching the other two with rapt attention, but now her eyes glance downwards into her lap. 

Marina leans over. “If you need to leave it’s okay.” 

Pearl gives a small jump of surprise. “Naw, naw, sorry I’m good. Just some family stuff.”

“Is everything alright?” Marina raises an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, everything’s just fine. It’s just my Pa, rubbin’ me the wrong way.” The pink haired woman shrugs half heartedly. 

“I understand.” Marina says, and she means it. “I mean, if you ever need someone to talk about it, uh, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”

Pearl blinks slowly as she stares at Marina. After a few seconds, she gives a grimace. “You probably have enough on your plate. Someone else's Daddy issues aren’t exactly great.”

“They aren’t, but sometimes it’s nice to vent.” Marina nods. “I was able to grow with the help I was given, and sometimes an ear is all that's needed.”

“Ey, Marina spittin' truths.” Three says, releasing her clasped hand with Eight. It looks like they were making a pact of some sort. “Friends help each other. Sometimes even the most unlikely people can be what you need.” 

“Wise words from the young.” Pearl says. 

“Hey I’m not young I just turned twenty two.”

“Try being twenty four.” The singer says. “I’m practically ancient.”

Marina looks at Pearl. “You’re twenty four?”

Pearl nods. Her face shifts into disgust.“Yeah, unfortunately. People usually think I’m in high school and it sucks. Probably the height and stuff.”

“Yeah how tall are you anyways?” Three asks. 

Pearl sighs. “Five foot exactly.”

“Small.” Eight squint. 

“Huh.” Is all Marina could reply with. To be quite honest she thought Pearl was older. Maybe the black and look of misery that she’s seen before, or the tired look in her eyes when she's not talking to anyone.

“Oh shit, what time is it?” Eight says standing up. 

“Almost two.” Pearl answers. 

“I’m gonna have to kick you out in like ten minutes minutes. Iso’s gonna visit today, then I need to go shopping, my favorite pants ripped and I need new ones.”

“‘Kay.” Pearl says and picks up her plate.

“Oo where are you going?” Marina asks as she begins scarfing down the rest of her waffle. Everyone else had stopped putting waffles on their plate before her.

“Arowana Mall.” She pauses. “Is it just me or is that place so long?”

“No kidding.” Three mutters. “I feel like they could’ve made it at least a square. It sucks trying to go from Hot Topic all the way down to the buffet area. It takes like twenty minutes.”

“Say hello to Iso from me.” Marina finishes her waffle and dabs at her mouth. Iso, or Iso Padre, had been Eight’s first mentor at Cuttlefish College. During his time he had taken her under his wing and became a father-like figure. He had retired a year ago, much to Eight’s dismay. 

Marina had only met him a couple of times. Ironically, both times in the subway metro. Even though he was a hulking man of six feet, and looked like the stereotypical italian mafia member, he was a kind soul. 

“Will do!” Eight says smiling, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. “I’m glad I reached out to him, I was a little worried he wouldn’t answer.”

“Of course he would, he’s Iso and you’re you.” Marina says. 

Eight nods, a small frown on her face. “Yeah, your right.”

Marina gets up and grabs her plate. “You’re going to have fun, maybe he’ll bring you a trinket from his travels.”

Eight immediately perks up. “He did say he had something interesting to give me. Oh man, I wonder what it is.”

“See!” Marina says with a small smile. “I’m sure it will be fine.” 

“Yeah, I’m just overthinking it.” Eight shook her head. She brightens up with a genuine smile. “We’ll see how it goes!”

“That’s the spirit.” Three says in a monotone voice, and for a second Marina can't tell if she means it or not. 

“Thank you, Three.” Eight says with a nod and closes her eyes. After a second she opens them. “It will go fine. Okay, I gotta get ready.” 

Three stands up, moving to scraping some of the sauce into the trash before putting the plate in the sink. The water begins to run as she begins washing them. 

“Mind if I use your bathroom?” Pearl asks from the living room. She had slipped her leather jacket on while they were talking. 

“Sure,” Eight juts a finger behind her. “Just down the hall. Should see it on your left. 

“Thanks.” The singer says and grins, making her way past the table. 

Marina grabs her bag, headphones, and keys (found in her bag), before slipping on her own jacket. She looks in the mirror on the door while fixing the bandana around her head. “Thank you for having me, it was … it was nice.”

“No problem!” Eight puts a hand on her shoulder. She leans in. “I saw you and Pearl talking, pretty close last night. Anything I should know about?” She wags her eyebrows. 

Marina slaps her hand away. There’s a ball of anxiety in her gut as she turns around to glare at her. “Eight!“ She hisses. 

“Hey, if you tease me about-“ Eight makes eyes at Three who’s washing the dishes still. “Then I get to poke at you too.” 

“There’s nothing going on.” Marina says. “I think she might be seeing someone already anyways.” Anxiety turns into a sickly feeling when she remembers Marie. 

Eight looks surprised. “What? Did she tell you?” 

“Well, no, but-“ 

“So don’t sweat it, Marina you jump to conclusions.” Eight places her hands on the taller woman’s shoulders. “Feel it out, I think she could be good for you, even if it isn’t romantic.”

“What’s romantic?” Three calls from the sink. She’s leaning against the counter, dishes are in the drying rack next to her. 

“None of ya business.” Eight says louder. She looks at Marina, grey eyes piercing teal. “But I’m serious. She’s like, hella cool.” 

Marina can't even deny it. Pearl was hella cool. She was hella fresh. Instead of answering she looks to the side. With a sigh, she says. “We’ll see.” 

Eight’s about to say something when Pearl walks out of the hall smelling her hands. “What kinda soap is that? I was looking for a label but couldn’t find one. I love it.”

“Probably something cheap from MakoMart.” Three says rolling her eyes. She’s holding her jacket and keys. “Eight buys it in bulk and stocks up for the apocalypse.”

“Soap can be hard to come by.” Eight frowns. “I’m glad you like it, I do too. It's called Tropical Storm.”

“MakoMart…” Pearl hums under her breath. “That's why I’ve never smelled it before.”

“I’ll show you if we hang out again, maybe next trip could be to the mall!” Eight is beaming at the thought. "Shopping spree!" 

Three looks queasy. “Bye everyone, Eight I’ll see you later.” She says, quickly opening the door. 

Eight grabs her arm lightly, making her stop. “What, no hug?”

“... Later.” Three grumbles. Marina thinks she might be blushing, but it's hard to tell as her bangs hide her face pretty well. There is a weak tug, and a moment later she’s out the door. 

“Thanks for the night, Eight.” Pearl says. She’s half in the door frame. 

“Thank you!” Eight says. “You know, you're even cooler in person than on stage.” 

“Aw, thanks.” Pearl rubs the back of her neck. Her other hand fidgets with her necklace. “Means a lot.”

“Marina agrees.” Eight says. Marina blinks then stares at Eight. The red head blinks back at her. “Don’t you?”

“Uh… Yeah!” Marina stumbles with her words, not expecting the question. “Definitely.”

Pearl’s bashful smile turns into something else, something more genuine? “Well I’m glad I have two people in my corner.” 

“Of course,” Eight says. She smiles at both of them while Marina scoots out. "Text you later Marina. Nice meeting you Pearl!”

The door is shut behind them as they begin the long trek down the stairs. Marina is having a hard time reading the air. It feels strange. 

“Where are you goin’ after this?” Pearl asks, breaking the silence. 

Marina sighs, both in relief and dread. “My apartment. Now school work is really calling.”

“Oh yeah.” Pearl begins fidgeting with her keys. “Makes sense. What do you gotta do?”

“Design team prep is top priority, I think.” Her essays were due the following week so she still has some time to fully flesh them out. “Then power point for Fight History, because I only need a few more slides.”

“What do you design in, uh, teams?” The other woman asks.

Marina glances at her. Pearl actually looks interested, and for some reason Marina feels a little surprised. “Depending on the project, this time around we’re required to make a miniature plane from reusable source materials.”

Pearl whistles. “How’s that workin’ out?”

“Surprisingly not too bad.” Marina says. “People tend to overlook the vast amount of materials capable of being reused. Yes, there are the normal materials like plastic, paper, and cloth, but metal and batteries are also recyclable, just not in the ways people think.”

“Huh, really?” 

Marina nods. “Yes, for example when a battery dies there's no way to bring it back to life, unfortunately, but you can reuse the metal parts of it as well as some conductive elements.” 

“Have you built it yet?” Pearl asks. 

Marina sighs again. “...No, we’ve been hitting some bumps in planning.” The drama surrounding who was in charge was also not helping. “This week’s meeting is supposed to help that, but I’m a little nervous it’s not going to go as planned.”

Pearl raises an eyebrow. Marina noticed they reached the third floor. “Whatta mean? Nerds aren’t geeking out together right?”

“Yes and no.” Marina runs a hand through her hair then rests her hand on the edge of her headphones. “Some people have stronger opinions then others, and when you have two or more in a room…”

“Makes an explosion.” Pearl nods as Marina trails off. “Can you watch from a safe distance?”

“It's hard to watch safely when you’re committee head.” Marina says wryly. 

“Ouch, prime target then.” Pearl shakes her head. “Damn, that sucks ass. I bet you’ll be fine though, you’re smart.”

Marina looks over to see Pearl smiling at her. 

She looks away. She can’t tell if the tingling feeling in her fingertips was her being antsy or something else. “If only. They’re not doing their work which makes it harder for me to do mine. You would think for people who were selected to be some of the best that they would take their work more seriously. It’s like they haven't matured.”

It gave her a headache. It’s giving her a headache. She sighs again.

“Some people never do.” Pearl answers with a shrug. 

“It’s so infuriating.” Marina mutters as she grips her shoulder bag. 

Pearl hums and tilts her head. 

They continue to walk in silence until they reach the bottom floor. Pearl opens the door and Marina thanks her just as she slips through. 

Instead of leaving, Marina stops outside and turns to Pearl. “Thank-”

“Hey, are-” 

They both stop and blink in surprise. 

“You first.” Pearl says gesturing. 

“No, you.” Marina says. 

Pearl looks as though she was about to fight it but sighs instead. “I wanted to ask if you were free for the next few weekends.” The short singer says. “Planning on having the beginning of summer bash soon but I need to work out the specific date. I thinkin’ in a week or two but wanted to check your schedule..” 

“Oh,” Marina thinks for a brief moment. “I might be a little swamped next Friday but on the weekends I should be free.”

“Great.” Pearl’s face lights up with a big smile and Marina thinks it's charming. It makes her seem less intimidating. “I’ll text you then?”

Marina nods, fidgeting with her headphones. “Yes, just let me know.” 

“Cool, cool.” Pearl nods. “What were you saying before? Sorry I cut you off.”

“I… wanted to say thank you, for coming.” Marina glances to the side. “I know we just met, but I felt more relaxed with you there. I enjoyed spending the time with you.”

Pearl coughs, and Marina looks back at her. Was her face red? “Ah, no problem.” She says rubbing her neck. “I enjoyed spending the time with you too! Your friends are cool. Never met someone more spunky than Eight.”

Marina ignores the nerves twisting in her gut as she gives a small smile.”Yeah, that’s Eight alright.” She looks down, because Pearl’s eyes look golden in the light. 

“Haha, yeah.” Pearl tugs at her leather jacket. 

More silence. Marina shifts from foot to foot, wondering what to say. The thought of homework crosses her mind and she tightens her hands on her shoulder back and looks up. “Well, I have to go. I’ll see you later?”

The other woman jumped like Marina’s voice startled her. “Yeah!” Pearl says in a higher pitched voice. She coughs for a second time clearing her throat. “Yeah, I’ll see you around. If you need anything don't be afraid to text me?” 

“Oh,” Marina breathes because the offer was unexpected. “Okay, thank you. I guess the same to you, though I don’t have much to offer.” 

Pearl waves her hand. “Just someone to talk to is enough for me.” She smiled again. “See you later?”

Marina feels herself smile, because Pearl’s energy is so contagious. “See you later."

They part ways. Marina only looks back once to see Pearl looking back.

Pearl turns fully around and waves at her half a block away.

She waves back, and there's an unexplained feeling in her chest that blooms. 

Friendship? Acceptance?

Marina shakes her head, smiling.

She'll just have to wait and see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops haha I've been gone for a while. My own school experience has been kickin me so please forgive sudden drop off! 
> 
> Hope everyone's been staying safe! 
> 
> Find me at @homunerd (general) or @SquidRyder (splatoon/nintendo) 
> 
> Stay fresh!


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